photographs, while others held their children and sat with their familie

It might not quite be the Ashes or India-Pakistan, but a series between Australia and South Africa has its own appeal. The two sides are competitive, intense, evenly matched, and bring the best and worst out of each other.Over the last eight years, Australia-South Africa contests have been especially epic: both teams have overcome the others home advantage, legendary captains have retired, and records have been made and broken.Heres a quick recap.2008: South Africa successfully chased 414 in Perth and won again in Melbourne - their first series victory in Australia.2011: Australia were bowled out for 47 in Cape Town, before sneaking to a two-wicket win in Johannesburg to draw the two-Test series.2012: A stonewalling in Adelaide that has become the stuff of legend.On the day, it was a show of defiance. In the context of the series, it shifted the momentum. For the players involved, it was defining. It was where Faf du Plessis showed the character that led to him becoming a stand-in captain. It was where Peter Siddle learned to lead an attack. It was where Nathan Lyon played his first real Test.I realised I was playing Test match cricket and teams dont just roll over, Lyon told ESPNcricinfo.Far from it. Usman Khawaja, who was not playing in that Adelaide Test, admitted what a lot of people would have been thinking. I was expecting Australia to win.South Africa finished day four on 77 for 4 in their chase of 430. Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla were out. Jacques Kallis was injured. Du Plessis was on debut. Even though Australia also had a casualty in James Pattinson, they thought themselves halfway home.When youve got debutants coming in, you know they might perform well because the reason they are getting an opportunity is because they are skillful, Siddle said. You think he might bat for a little while but then you might get him out. Hes nervous, its his first test, it wont last.But it did. And partly because of who du Plessis had at the other end. His childhood friend, AB de Villiers; the inventor of some of the most ingenious strokes in the modern game was not interested in anything other than the block. De Villiers scored 33 off 220 balls at a strike rate of 15 - a run every seven balls he faced - and did not breach the boundary once. It was an incredible show of restraint from a player who is known for scoring quickly.When Lyon called their partnership unbelievable, he was not saying so in the way the word is casually used. He really meant it.Australia tried everything under the sun, as Siddle remembers it. Michael Clarke bowled first change and went on to deliver 18 overs. Du Plessis was given out twice off him, both times lbw, both times overturned on review.Rob Quiney bowled, Ricky Ponting bowled, David Warner bowled. Nathan Lyon bowled more than anyone else, but in the absence of Pattinson, the responsibility fell chiefly on Siddle. He bore it bravely, even when it became difficult and even as he knew he was probably bowling himself out of contention for the final game.The first thing I learned was that I hope none of your fast bowling buddies go down injured again, Siddle joked. But personally, the biggest thing is putting yourself through that and knowing you can do it. Even though it cost me in the end. I didnt end up playing in Perth.Four years and a few injuries later, Siddle can see beyond the exhaustion of that day and reflects fondly on what the match did for Test cricket. People always talk about Test cricket dying and all those types of things, but that was exciting. They are the challenges you love about Test cricket. You dont get to see stuff like that in other forms of the game.Thats the great thing about Test cricket. The different challenges, the tactics, how it goes up and down from one side to the other. You dont mind if teams have to play defensively sometimes, thats also what Test cricket is about. Its not about trying to win every match. I am a traditionalist. I have always loved the longer form.Like Siddle, Lyon also appreciates the experience, although he certainty does not want to relive it.It helped me grow as a person and it helped our bowling group grow as well, he said. I have much better memories of 2014 though.2014: That year, Australia traveled to South Africa with revenge on the agenda. Mitchell Johnson was, in Khawajas words, terrorising everyone in world cricket at the time.South Africa had stayed No.1 all through that period, information that didnt mean much to Johnson. He tore through them at SuperSport Park, a venue where South Africa have been more successful at than any other, before Steyn returned the favour in Port Elizabeth.The series went down to a decider in Cape Town, where Smith announced his retirement mid-match and South Africa threatened another blockathon to save the game.Ryan Harris was the man with ball in hand then, and in the final hour on the final day, he removed a stubborn Morne Morkel to maintain Australias record of never losing a Test series in South Africa post-readmission. South Africa suffered their first defeat since being crowned No. 1. In a way its weird. You dont usually lose on your home soil, and then go over there and win, Siddle said.But thats exactly how South Africa and Australia have played it for the last eight years. South Africa have won in Australia, Australia have won in South Africa, and all the meetings have been intriguing.At a time when world cricket needs introspection over the questions of scheduling, possible expansion, and the place of T20 leagues, to have a rivalry this rich is a reminder of how unique international, long-form cricket is. If the 2016 edition of Australia versus South Africa is anything like the previous ones, theres nothing else youd want to be watching. Nathan Lyon agrees.To have two good teams going at it is exceptional for world cricket and it shows how good Test match cricket is. New Balance Outlet Store . Instead of dwelling on the negative, Oates focused on what was good about the clubs recent play. It worked. New Balance Shoes Clearance . 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CHICAGO -- Cubs players enjoyed their victory lap Friday, waving to millions of elated fans crowded along miles of city streets during a parade honoring the first Cubs team to win a World Series title in 108 years.The Office of?Emergency Management and Communications told the Chicago Tribune that an estimated crowd of 5 million packed the 7-mile parade route from Wrigley Field to Grant Park, where the party continued with a massive rally to celebrate the Cubs historic win.Team manager Joe Maddon -- wearing a stocking cap, sunglasses and a jersey over a We didnt suck T-shirt -- looked out over a sea of blue.Welcome to Cubstock 2016! he shouted to the fans after carrying the World Series championship trophy onto the stage. This is an incredible moment for all of us. Never have I experienced anything like Wrigley Field on a nightly basis. ... I want to congratulate you fans also. Thank you for being so patient.One by one -- from CEO Tom Ricketts to president Theo Epstein to coaches and players, past and present -- they all were introduced to their adoring, roaring fans. Catcher David Ross?even posed for a selfie before serenading the crowd with a rousing rendition of Go Cubs Go! along with his teammates before fireworks capped the 90-minute rally.Said first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who got teary-eyed while speaking at the rally: It happened, baby. It happened!Rizzo singled out 39-year-old Ross, who is retiring and is?affectionately called Grandpa by the teams younger players, before capping his speech by giving Ricketts the ball from the last out of Game 7.A victory party is new territory for long-suffering fans of the Cubs, who hadnt won a World Series title in more than a century before their Game 7, extra-inning thriller against the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday.?The last time the Cubs even reached the Fall Classic was in 1945.Earlier, on the parade route, throngs of young and old blue-clad fans roared as the motorcade of open-roofed buses carrying the players cruised along Lake Shore Drive. The mood was jubilant, bolstered by an unseasonably warm and sunny November day and clear blue skies.The parade wound through downtown and ended roughly 7 miles south in Grant Park. The route also took the buses over the Chicago River, which the city dyed a bright shade of blue to match the Cubs colors, repurposing a decades-long tradition of dying the river green on St. Patricks Day.Ricketts told the crowd that the players oon the World Series team are going to be Chicago baseball legends.ddddddddddddHe said he was used to fans coming up to him, asking when the Cubs were going to win a World Series. For the thousands of people who have said that to me, there you go, Ricketts said.Vendors hawked pennants and shirts, and selfie-taking teens tried to capture the crowds. Many just beamed.Retiree Jarvis Moffett, 60, arrived at the lakefront park hours ahead of the rally just to take in the atmosphere.Im an old-school Cubs fan, he said, gesturing to the sky and crowds. This is what you live for. It doesnt get any better.Miriam Santiago, 51, said she carried holy water, her rosary and a bright green lucky baseball with her during the playoffs. On Friday, she brought a goat mask with dynamite in its mouth and let other fans pose for photos wearing it outside Wrigley Field. She said she believes her lucky charms helped reverse the curse.Steve Angelo carried his 4-year-old son, Nicholas, on his shoulders. The pair wore matching Rizzo jerseys.The more and more they win now, at his earlier age, the more and more excitement there is, Angelo said.Atop the double-decker buses, some Cubs players posed together for photographs, while others held their children and sat with their families. Center fielder Dexter Fowler had a cigar as the team headed toward the rally that some fans have called the celebration of a century.Fans packed morning commuter trains, causing delays despite increased service and capacity, to get downtown and find a viewing spot before the festivities began.Laurie Winter woke up at 4 a.m. so she and her 2-year-old son, Cooper, could come in from the suburb of South Elgin and be among the fans outside Wrigley Field to see the players.I think everyone is excited about where this team is going, Winter said. We cant wait to see them come out and get crazy.The city estimated 2 million people attended similar events in 2015, after the Chicago Blackhawks won their third Stanley Cup in six years. Obviously, with the 5 million estimate Friday, generations of Cubs fans had far more pent-up celebrating to do.Friday was already a scheduled day off for Chicago Public Schools and Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner declared Friday as World Champion Chicago Cubs Day statewide.The Associated Press contributed to this report. ' ' '