Pitch prediction sometimes brings to mind the reading of palms or tea leaves.In the days before a Test, coaches and captains take familiar positions near one end of the track and stare pensively down at the clay; silently nodding or shaking heads, or murmuring softly under their breath. They drop ritualistically, to their haunches to lay hands on the surface, sometimes feeling it with closed eyes, as if searching for the pitchs life force. Towards the end of the exercise, glances are often thrown skywards and divine guidance is sought. Occasionally, the pitch curator consulted.Members of both teams observed this tradition, at Seddon Park, on Tuesday, and if they were especially intense during the examination, it is because the Hamilton pitch has had many avatars in recent years. It bounced for Sri Lanka last December, when even a visiting seamer prospered with the short ball, and Sri Lankas top order treated the crowd to an unforgettable slapstick collapse. In 2013 it had sung for offspinner Sunil Narine, who took 6 for 91 in the first innings. In the two Tests before that, reverse-swing had defined the outcome. All the way back in 2010, when Australia came, pace and seam movement had proved significant.Pakistan say they are happy to play on any track, but two days out, this track is just as green as the one at Hagley Oval had been. And although it was a warm, cloudless day, Seddon Parks curators also kept the surface covered for much of the afternoon. Much of the grass will be retained - all the better to mute Pakistans spinner, said New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman BJ Watling, who also plays on this surface for the Northern Districts domestic side.A lot can depend on the cloud cover we get here when conditions are around, he said. It can swing when its overcast. Im hoping it doesnt spin too much because Yasir Shah is a world-class bowler, and we really dont want to bring him into the game too much.In addition to aiding swing, the cloud cover and rain expected for the first three days of the match may also prevent the track from drying out as much as Pakistan and Yasir would like. The forecast has improved through the week, however, and Watling suggested that even a little sunshine could change the pitchs character. Our pitches here can flatten out quite quickly. If its green on day one, I can guarantee that by the end of day two, if it stays sunny, it wont be that green anymore.If the pitch does turn out seam-friendly again, the visiting quicks had shown competence in such conditions - particularly on the third morning of the first Test, when the claimed six wickets for 96. Their success had largely come from bowling shorter lengths than they had initially ventured, the previous day.Their bowlers are very good, and conditions like these can suit them, Watling said. They would have learned from that last match and will adjust their lengths accordingly. They would have learned a lot with the bat as well and we can expect a tougher challenge in this game.New Zealand are likely to retain the quicks that played in Christchurch, but will likely swap Mitchell Santner for Todd Astle in the XI. Watling said the hosts attack is varied enough to be menacing, even if the ball does not move for as long as expected.We know we always have Neil Wagner, who when conditions flatten out, can change a game and give you those couple of crucial wickets to bring our swing bowlers back into the game as well. Weve got a good balance there. With Colin bowling quite a few overs for us as the allrounder, I think it really helps Kane. 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Blizzards newest game, Overwatch, officially launched last month already had seven million players within a week of release. Whats more, this is a game that went the traditional sales route rather than the increasingly common free-to-play one, meaning that all those players plopped down a minimum of $40 to play Blizzards newest IP.Even before launch, there were a healthy number of professional Overwatch tournaments, populated by some of the biggest teams in esports. With Overwatchs audience growing and Blizzards focus on increasing the competitiveness of the game -- as seen by the games just-released Competitive Mode -- theres an opportunity for Overwatch to flourish as an esport.Any spectator sport, whether its hitting a ball with a large stick or dispensing an animated fighter with a Shoryuken, quickly develops its own internal strategies and trends as the players become more experienced and the sport becomes more refined. In gaming, we refer to this as the meta, an endlessly evolving state that forms the backbone of tactics employed in the game.With 21 heroes, theres a lot for a new viewer or player to grasp. To help potential Overwatch enthusiasts, last week we started our introduction to the heroes and their strategies. This is not a list of their various skills, but a basic overview of how each hero fits into the competitive framework based on where the game stands right now. We started off with the offensive heroes. Next up: the tanks.The concept of a tank in gaming goes far beyond the first-person shooter. From a team FPS to multiplayer online battle arenas (MOBAs) to role-playing games (and so on), the essential job of a tank is to absorb damage in some way. Typically, the strong defensive skills of the tank are balanced by weakness in another area, whether that be reduced offensive power, reduced range and/or mobility, or some other drawback. Overwatch has five tanks that fulfill this role, but they all do it in very different ways.ReinhardtGigantic, clad in heavy armor and wielding a massive warhammer, one look at Reinhardt should dispel any notion that this character is a healer or a squishy sniper. Reinhardts game is the most straightforward of any tank in Overwatch: absorb a ridiculous amount of damage and smash anything that comes in range of the hammer.Reinhardts shield, the best single defensive tool in the game, does have a major drawback in that it only appears in a small arc thats directly in front of him. This makes Reinhardt a valuable character when it comes to protecting a particular hero -- when Bastion is played, youll tend to see a Reinhardt nearby -- or a particular space. It also makes Reinhardt vulnerable in more wide-open, dynamic situations.When a payload is involved -- a very linear mode where you escort an object to a destination -- or a specific point needs to be defended, Reinhardts a top tank. In a King of the Hill match, in which the action is more difficult to channel in a single direction, Reinhardt becomes a more challenging choice. In terms of matchups, while McCree finds it hard to deal with Reinhardt one-on-one, Pharahs rockets and Reapers ability to choose the angle of short-range engagement are problematic for Reinhardt. Both of those characters are very popular.Best Maps: Kings Row, DoradoWinstonLike Reinhardt, Winston is a tank with a short-range attack and a shield that can protect multiple team members. Thats where the similarities end. Winstons Jump Pack gives him a significant measure of mobility, giving Winston a great degree of flexibility in how you use him; to compensate, his shield cant absorb as much damage as Reinhardts. Both the Jump Pack and the Tesla Cannon give Winston more effective crowd-control abilities than the other tanks, expanding Winstonss role significantly beyond turtling.ddddddddddddhats what makes Winston more popular than other tanks in those King of the Hill maps. Dynamic situations are where Winston fits best, as his bubble-shaped shield covers a full 360 degrees and his Tesla Cannon is effective against the quicker attackers (Tracer and Genji most notably). Need your tank to jump across the map and annoy the other teams back line? Looking to cause a bit of chaos? Winstons your choice. Sometimes, on Route 66, youll see multiple Winstons.Best Maps: Watchpoint: Gibraltar, Route 66RoadhogRoadhog describes himself in-game as a one-man apocalypse, and that about sums up his role.Sheltering weaker support characters isnt Roadhogs function, as he has no damage-mitigation abilities. The way a Roadhog defends a team is indirectly; its not by protecting his teammates from damage with some kind of shield, but by simply being a large target and keeping the other team at a distance. His ability to heal himself means that he can soak up a lot of damage, and the Chain Hook, which drags an opponent into close range, is devastating on a single target. In addition, the Chain Hook can interrupt a number of ultimates (Reaper, McCree, Pharah and other Roadhogs).The downside is that hes the least-mobile tank, as even Reinhardt technically can charge in a straight line fairly quickly. Characters like Soldier: 76 and Junkrat are able to damage Roadhog at will without being in any danger from the Chain Hook or either of his Scrap Guns firing modes. His lack of mobility and need for straight sightlines keep Roadhog, even as an offensive-minded tank, from having a role in many of the King of the Hill maps.Best Maps: Kings Row, NumbaniZaryaZarya is unusual in that, unlike the other tanks, you usually see her on offense at high levels of competitive play and not defense. While Zaryas personal shield and the one that she can project onto a teammate are powerful, they also only last for two seconds. To successfully use her damage mitigation, you need to be choosing when to engage rather than having the enemy come to you.The short shield window makes Zarya good for coordinated attacks on choke points or for a general assault on an opposing teams position. Damage absorbed by her barriers in these attacks also serves to increase her damage output significantly, which is another factor that makes her ideal for offense. The Graviton Surge ultimate also comes with team-wipe potential given a bit of coordination, something all top teams have in ample supply.Best Maps: Kings Row, HollywoodD.VaOf the five heroes classified as tanks, D.Va is the only one that has yet to find a real role in competitive play outside of tactical moments when her mechs vertical mobility comes in handy. If you play mostly pub games and havent watched much competitive Overwatch, this might come as a surprise.D.Vas ability to act as a shock trooper, charging in quickly where most heroes cant, can easily cause disarray in the enemy line in lower level play. Against a pro, however, this tactic is harder to pull off and youre not going to successfully cap points by sending a couple D.Vas to skip through the battle. Even the Self-Destruct ultimate is only really going to clear a room temporarily rather than actually kill anybody; while that move has a tempo value -- forcing opponents to move behind obstructions rather than doing something useful for several seconds -- thats really not enough.D.Va does a lot of things well, but theres no real set role in which shes amazing. Until she can fill a more specialized task, shes a pub hero and a comp zero.Best Maps: Dorado, Hanamura ' ' '