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Adam Voges leans forward to push Rangana Herath back down the pitch. He does so in a tangle of bat, ball and ground. The delivery sails back towards Herath, who ambles across to grab it - on the bounce, or so everyone assumes. Upon doing so, Herath turns around and offers the gentlest of appeals to the umpire Richard Kettleborough.As the replay is called for, Voges leans on his bat, a picture of unconcern. But whats this? Hes half-volleyed the ball then hit the ground. Its a catch, as the third umpire soon confirms. When the verdict reaches the middle, Voges expression turns thunderous. He swears hes done everything right, and marches off cursing. How the hell did that happen?The Voges story this morning was equally true for Australia in this match. In terms of preparation, personnel, mental and technical approach, they thought they had Sri Lanka covered, and the pattern of play on day one suggested as much. But from a moments miscalculated aggression by the captain Steven Smith on the second morning, a horrible realisation dawned on the touring team, much as it did on Voges. They did not have Sri Lanka covered, they were not fully equipped for the task, and their approach to the conditions and their opponent did not stand up when required.Notably, this is Smiths first defeat as Test captain, ending a honeymoon period that spanned six matches at home and a successful effort to adapt in New Zealand. But more notably Australias defeat was their seventh in consecutive Test matches in Asia, a streak spanning back to the start of the infamous 2013 tour of India. Over that period, Cricket Australia have spent many thousands of dollars on gearing their players towards better performances in the region. They have changed coaches, selectors and captains; they have employed a host of consultants, even Muttiah Muralitharan; and they have tried to replicate Asian conditions with expensive spin pitches at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane.For all that, the teams results suggest they are no closer to solving the Asian riddle than they were three years ago. In India they were beaten badly, by a team featuring Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. In the UAE they were stopped by Pakistans twin batting pillars Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq, then routed by a quality spin bowler in Yasir Shah. But in Sri Lanka it was the little-known pair of Kusal Mendis and Lakshan Sandakan who confounded Smiths men, providing ideal counterpoints to the more estimable skills of Herath. By any measure, whether it be rankings, income or experience, Australia should have won this Test comfortably.Test cricket is currently in the throes of a debate about context and meaning. The context to Sri Lankas victory came from the fact they had not beaten Australia for 17 years, a 1999 victory the only time they had come out on top in 33 years of contests between the two nations. It also came from financial comparisons between Cricket Australia, a mighty conglomerate with cash reserves in excess of A$50 million and annual revenue of A$380.9 million for the last financial year, and SLCs US$16.5 million debt for the construction of a little-used stadium at Hambantota.But history and money make little difference if a bowler puts the ball in the right place, and the batsman fails to deal with it. Smiths stumping was profligate in the manner of a billionaire lighting up a cigar with a $100 bill, and within the space of three days it had led to the sight of a hamstrung Steve OKeefe trying to help Peter Nevill survive in the hope of fifth-day rain - but unlike the first four days, those showers never actually arrived. The lower orders dead bats raised a world record 25.4 overs without a single run scored, a landmark that left many to wonder what the earlier hurry had been. OKeefes effort was laudable given his injured state; several fully fit batsmen in the viewing area needed to show similar levels of care and attention.Smith defended his choice of shot in the first innings, with the caveat that he had executed it poorly. But he agreed that Nevill and OKeefe had shown the sort of resolve required of others. I think with the batters probably a bit of discipline, he said. I was really proud of the way Peter Nevill and Steven OKeefe fought hard at the end, it wasnt easy, some balls were skidding, some were spinning, but it was difficult and they found a way to get through it.From the batters point of view we need to find a way to be successful in these conditions, we let the spinners into the game a lot more than we probably should have. Rangana got the majority of his wickets on the inside of the right-handers bat and the outside of the left-handers, so we have got to find a way to play that a lot better in Galle.To Smiths credit, he too showed evidence of learning and adaptation in crafting Australias only half-century of the match on the final day. Rather than charging down the wicket in search of sixes, he skipped forward to pierce gaps through the leg-side field, and contented himself with ones and twos rather than clumping boundaries. For a time that method appeared to be working, and Mitchell Marsh also showed signs of permanence. But then came a pair of Herath deliveries skidding into the stumps, and failed efforts to get bat to ball.So instead of leading Australia to victory, Smith wandered off the field and sat in the stands for his first defeat. How the hell did that happen? The same way it always seems to these days. Australia thought they had it covered; they didnt even get close. 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SUNRISE, Fla. -- Heres an example of how far Florida has come: At a game late last season, the Panthers were penalized twice because their home fans were overly exuberant.That wasnt possible a couple years ago.The Panthers were one of the NHLs surprises last year, winning the Atlantic Division -- only two years after finishing a staggering 51 points back in the division race -- and putting together the best regular season in franchise history. Now they have the look of a full-fledged contender, with expectations higher than theyve been in two decades.We achieved a lot of goals, Panthers forward Reilly Smith said. Making the playoffs was a big goal for us. Finishing first in our division was another big goal. Theres still that big one at the end of the tunnel that we didnt come close enough to, but wed like to get back there and we definitely have enough skill in our dressing room to get us back to that point.The Panthers expect to have a lot of that skill in Florida colors for years to come.Florida has no fewer than 10 players under contract for at least the next four seasons, including its young core -- Aleksander Barkov, Aaron Ekblad, Jonathan Huberdeau, Nick Bjugstad, Vincent Trocheck and Smith. The Panthers also added defenseman Keith Yandle in the offseason, part of some big changes on the blue line, and got goaltender Roberto Luongo a very strong backup in James Reimer.And of course, the Panthers still have Jaromir Jagr.He led the team in scoring last season, at the age of 44. He enters this season 20 points away from passing Mark Messier for No. 2 on the NHLs all-time list -- behind only Wayne Gretzky, who is still about 1,000 points ahead of anyone else.Jagr thinks it was a very positive sign for the Panthers to keep their core intact, and thinks the chemistry in Floridas dressing room is a big reason why success should be expected this season.Its not about three forwards and two defense, Jagr said. Its about five guys just working together. Forwards have to playy defense, defense has to play forward.dddddddddddd. Thats just the style of hockey now. Everyone has to know how to play everything. Defense has to help the forwards and the other way around.Heres some things to know about the Panthers going into this season:STREAKY CATSThe Panthers were streaky last season, both good and bad. Florida had a 12-game winning streak, two five-game win streaks and one other stretch of four wins in a row. There also were losing streaks of four and five games. The roller-coaster ride worked out, though the Panthers believe theres too much talent for a reprise of any long droughts this season.CATS ARE COMINGThere were two games in November last year when Florida failed to draw even 11,000 people into its building, a common problem over the last couple decades. But as the playoffs neared, the Panthers were a big ticket -- their last eight regular-season games all drew more than 15,000, with four of those getting crowds of over 18,000. And the game against New Jersey on March 31 was the one where Florida fans got their team penalized twice by throwing toy rats onto the ice in the third period.PLAYOFF STINGTrocheck got tripped with 68 seconds left in Game 6 of Floridas first-round series with the New York Islanders, on a play where he had an empty net and a golden chance of wrapping up a trip to a Game 7 at home. Instead, the Islanders tied the game seconds later, then prevailed in double overtime to end Floridas season. Still hurts, Smith said.SPECIAL TEAMSAn area where Florida can improve this season is special teams. Floridas power play ranked 23rd in the 30-team NHL last season, and its penalty kill unit was 24th.ODDS WATCHThree years ago, sportsbooks in Las Vegas listed the Panthers as a 150-1 shot to win the Stanley Cup -- by far the longest in the league at that time. Entering this season, theyre listed at 20-1. ' ' '