Australia are in Pakistan for what will be a historic Test series - their first visit in 24 years - but there will be no room for sentiment once play begins in Rawalpindi on Friday.
Aussie spinner Nathan Lyon said that while he was proud to be involved in his team's first tour of the country in nearly a quarter of a century, he was aiming for a 3-0 Test sweep.
Pat Cummins' team are the form side after their 4-0 Ashes series victory over England earlier this year, but will face vastly different conditions in the south Asian nation. Even so, the target remains the same for Lyon.
"My mindset is every game we go into, we will look to win, not draw or lose. My mindset is to win 3-0 in Pakistan," Lyon was quoted as saying by Reuters.
Pakistan have struggled to attract touring sides since the attack on Sri Lanka team's bus in 2009.
Having been forced to play their home games mostly in the UAE for a decade, Pakistan hope the Australians' stay will be without incident as it tries to reassure the international community it can guarantee safety.
Both New Zealand and England were scheduled to tour last year. However, the Black Caps pulled out of their tour in September just minutes before their first match was due to start, citing security fears, and England postponed tours by both their men's and women's teams soon after.
This time, Pakistan are leaving no stone unturned to ensure safety of the players with nearly 4,000 police and military personnel guarding the team hotel in Islamabad and the nearby Rawalpindi Stadium. The significance of the series is not lost on Lyon.
"Pakistan haven't had the opportunity to have a lot of international cricket here over a number of years so to be able to be the first Australian team to come here to play ... It's a pretty proud moment," Lyon said.
"We've spoken as a group about how big it is for the people of Pakistan to see the likes of Steve Smith, David Warner, Pat Cummins and Marnus Labuschagne ... these guys are proud to come out here and play to be role models."
The veteran off-spinner said the surface for the first Test looked similar to those in the UAE and expected a good batting pitch early before spin and reverse swing later.
"My role is going to change across the Test matches. There's going to be times where I'll be in a holding role ... where there is opportunity for me to be more attacking I will," Lyon said.
"All bowlers in our squad are well prepared to play whatever role it takes to perform well. It's going to be challenging but we've got the squad to cover all areas."
Lyon said he was relishing the challenge of bowling against one of the world's top batsmen - Babar Azam.
The 34-year-old is the highest wicket-taker in the Australia squad with 415 scalps from 105 Tests, and boasts a record of 95 victims in 19 matches across Asia.
Azam is the world's number one batsman in ODIs as well Twenty20s, and is ranked ninth in the Test rankings.
"I have always said from day one of my career that I want to compete against the best players in the world, and Babar is definitely one of those guys," Lyon said.
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
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ENGLAND SQUAD
Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
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Company profile
Date started: Founded in May 2017 and operational since April 2018
Founders: co-founder and chief executive, Doaa Aref; Dr Rasha Rady, co-founder and chief operating officer.
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: Health-tech
Size: 22 employees
Funding: Seed funding
Investors: Flat6labs, 500 Falcons, three angel investors
Revival
Eminem
Interscope
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Zayed Sustainability Prize
MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2 (Benzema 13', Kroos 28')
Barcelona 1 (Mingueza 60')
Red card: Casemiro (Real Madrid)
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
Specs
Price, base: Dhs850,000
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
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BMW M5 specs
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The specs
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Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
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