South Africa batsman JP Duminy was considering retiring from Test cricket in January, when he was dropped for the New Years Test against England, before he was talked out of it by Ashwell Prince, who was a selector at the time. Cory Spangenberg Jersey . Duminy ended a run of patchy form by scoring 141 in the second innings to give South Africa a 300-plus lead over Australia in the ongoing Perth Test.When he was dropped in January, he was considering retiring from Test cricket, Prince told ESPNcricinfo in Perth. He had the conversation with me because the convener of selectors was not at the Cape Town Test, so I had to go and take him the news that he wont be playing.At that time, he was at a real low point and he was being honest and giving his feelings. As a selector, and with him being an important player to South African cricket, you try and convince him to think about it. Im sure when he thinks back about that conversation this afternoon or this evening, he will know how he was feeling then and with the feeling he is having now, he will be happy that he carried on.Duminy admitted that at that time he lacked direction, especially in Tests. There was indifferent feelings. I wasnt sure where I was going in terms of my career but I am very grateful to get another opportunity.He had gone 12 innings without a hundred when he was dropped, and in that time he had only passed fifty once. Like his team-mates, he struggled in India and with South African cricket itself on the wane, had several reasons to walk away. Its difficult to pinpoint exactly what it was but he was out of form, Prince said. With the type of calendar that they have these days, he has got a young baby, a young family, all that might have played a role.That was when Prince reminded Duminy, who had replaced him in the 2008 Perth Test and made a half-century in a famous victory, of the prestige of the longest format. I was talking to him as a friend, rather than a selector. I was making him understand how important Test cricket is for a player. You can play hundreds of ODIs and T20 and make millions but when you are done playing, you always think about what you did in the Test-match arena, Prince said. You can play fifty ODIs quickly and not remember anything. These type of performances, thats what the game is all about.During the conversation, Prince said Duminy told him that he needed a bit of a break, and was going to take the New Years week off but then he decided to play in a franchise first-class match. He scored a career-best 260. I dont know what changed from him wanting a break and then playing in that match but he got 250 straight away and I think the next Test he was back in.Faf du Plessis was dropped for the next game and Duminy returned but not with much success. He scored 19 and 29 against England at SuperSport Park and it was only when he struck 88 against New Zealand seven months later that it seemed he had found form again. Then, Duminy was able to realign his goals with his performances.The change came for me just before the West Indies tour, Duminy said. I sat down and reassessed my goals. Test cricket has always been a big part of my goal setting and I knew I was at a crossroads in my Test career. I wanted to leave my Test career knowing that Ive given it my all, and I committed to myself that I was going to give myself the best chance, so that was the difference. It was a personal thing. I didnt necessarily speak to anyone about it. I just sat down, wrote a few things down, where I want to go, what I still want to achieve.In that match, played without the injured AB de Villiers, Duminy was moved to No. 4, which is where he has batted in this Perth Test, and the change of position might have led to a change in fortune.If you are at No. 6, 90% of the time, you are batting with the bowlers so you will always have to try and think how am I going to marshall my way through this innings, Prince said. Do I trust them? Are they looking good on the day or are they looking like its going to be a matter of time? You are taking everything into consideration, whether its spinning, whether they are getting in line behind the ball. Maybe upfront he is a lot more relaxed, he has a lot more time to bat, he doesnt have to think should I attack more, should I defend more, or how the tail is lining up. He just has to bat.For Duminy, the move to No. 4 refreshed his approach. I was pleased with the opportunity. It is something I have always enjoyed in the first-class arena. To be given the nod to go ahead, especially with it being such a crucial position in the South African team, was a big positive for me and I knew I had to step up and fill some big boots. You had Kallis and AB de Villiers batting there before. Today [in Perth] was a step in the right direction.But more than the change of position, Prince believed it was a mental shift that did the trick for Duminy. I think its 100% mindset. I think maybe he has thought about and committed to wanting to do more in his Test career, Prince said. In the first innings [in Perth] he came out looking to play more positively and maybe once or twice was a little loose, in the second innings he came out positive again but a lot more selective. His shot selection and his stroke play has been sublime. Tony Gwynn Padres Jersey . -- Kyrie Irvings last-minute 3-pointer helped seal another victory for Cleveland -- and the Cavaliers longest winning streak since LeBron James left. Brandon Morrow Jersey .C. -- Rodney Hood connected from all over the court while freshman Jabari Parker was busy swatting shots and scoring in transition. http://www.baseballpadresofficial.com/alexei-ramirez-jersey-c-13/ . The players spoke Jan. 13 during a Major League Baseball Players Association conference call after Rodriguez sued the union and Major League Baseball to overturn an arbitrators decision suspending him for the 2014 season and post-season.CLEVELAND -- Other than the first inning, Max Scherzer was flawless. At the perfect time for the Tigers. Scherzer retired 22 straight after giving up two hits and a run in the first and Miguel Cabrera hit a two-run homer, leading Detroit to a 5-1 win over Cleveland on Tuesday night to stop the Indians winning streak at five and trim their lead in the AL Central. Scherzer (6-0) gave up two singles -- one a broken-bat bloop -- in the first before shutting down baseballs hottest team for eight innings. The right-hander walked just one and struck out seven, including the final four he faced. Scherzers 118th and last pitch was his fastest -- a 98 mph heater to fan Drew Stubbs. "He knew that was going to be it for him," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "He really cranked it up. That was pretty impressive. He did a terrific job." Cabreras laser shot in the sixth inning, his 12th homer and fourth in two games, off Corey Kluber (3-3) helped the Tigers win for just the second time in six games. The defending AL champions also moved within 1 1-2 games of the first-place Indians, who have won 18 of 23 since April 28. "That was a dominant performance," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "His last pitch was 98, and when youre up around 115 or 120 pitches and you have that left in the tank, thats saying a lot." Scherzer gave the Tigers a much-needed outing and set the stage for Cy Young winner Justin Verlander, who will pitch Tuesday night. Andy Dirks hit a solo homer in the sixth and had two RBIs as Detroit won the first game of the short, showdown series. In the first, Scherzer was touched for a leadoff single by Michael Bourn, a one-out base hit by Asdrubal Cabrera and a hard-hit sacrifice fly by Michael Brantley before he made the Indians look silly. He mixed his pitches, had Clevelands hitters off-balance and grew stronger as the game went on. "He had his good stuff all the way around from his fastball, a good slider and a good changeup," Bourn said. "He came out and dominated." Scherzer, who won five straight starts before getting a no-decision in his last outing against Houston, didnt get much support but was so good he didnt need it. He struck out seven of the last 12 batters, and felt better on his last pitch than the previous 117. "I definitely had the adrenaline going in that situation," he said. "You know thats your last inning and you throw the ball as hard as you can." Before the game, Francona said theres a danger in trying to pitch around Cabrera because Detroit has plenty of other dangerous hitters in its lineup. "I guarantee you if you pitch arouund him all day, theyre going to score," he said. Fernando Rodney Padres Jersey. Kluber went right at Mr. Triple Crown his first two times up, and retired Cabrera on a grounder to third in the first and routine fly to centre in the fourth. But in the sixth, Cabrera, who homered three times in a loss at Texas on Sunday, did what he does best. Dirks opened the inning with his fifth homer, a drive into the right-field seats to tie it 1-all. Torii Hunter followed with a double that one-hopped the wall in right, bringing up Cabrera with first base open. Francona elected to have Kluber to pitch to Cabrera, who rocketed an 0-1 fastball over the centre-field fence to give the Tigers a 3-1 lead. Francona said he didnt walk Cabrera because Prince Fielder, Victor Martinez and Jhonny Peralta could have made things worse. "Nobody out, youre asking for trouble," Francona said. "If you walk him and you have first and second with nobody out, youre putting your pitcher in a tough spot." Leyland marveled at Cabreras ability to hit Klubers pitch. "The pitch was down and away and he got extended on it," Leyland said. "There arent many guys who can do that. Thats why he is who he is." Detroit added two runs in the ninth on RBI singles by Dirks and Fielder. The Indians were missing first baseman Nick Swisher, who was placed on the paternity list before the game after his wife, JoAnna, gave birth to the couples first child. With Swisher out, Brantley batted cleanup for the first time this season and his sacrifice fly in the first gave the Indians a 1-0 lead. Bourn led off with a grounder through the box off Scherzer and raced to third on Asdrubal Cabreras broken-bat single with one out. Brantley followed with a liner to right-centre that was run down by Hunter but was deep enough to score the speedy Bourn easily. That was it for the Indians, though, as Scherzer shut them down. NOTES: Cabreras 195th homer with the Tigers moved him into a tie with Kirk Gibson for 10th place on the franchise list. ... Indians closer Chris Perez has deactivated his Twitter account following two bad outings and harsh comments from some followers. ... A moment of silence was observed before the game for victims of the Oklahoma tornado. ... Leyland said OF Austin Jackson (pulled left hamstring) will likely go on a minor league rehab assignment before he comes off the disabled list. Jackson has been on the DL since May 12. ... RHP Octavio Dotel (sore elbow) is playing catch in Florida. Hes been on the DL since April 20. ... The crowd cheered when it was announced the Cavaliers had won the NBA draft lottery for the second time in three years. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '