HARARE // Australia captain Michael Clarke will return to action for Sunday’s triangular series match against hosts Zimbabwe after recovering from a hamstring strain, Cricket Australia said.
Clarke will bat at No 3 as Steve Smith sits out, with Phil Hughes retained as opener. Clarke said that Smith would feel hurt by his omission.
“He hasn’t had much of an opportunity in this series batting at six and seven, but he was picked in the [tournament’s] first squad as well, so he will obviously be very disappointed,” Clarke said on Saturday.
“But I got back in the team and someone had to go.”
Mitchell Marsh will drop down the batting order to six but will probably get a chance to bowl with the new ball, because Mitchell Johnson is being rested.
All-rounder Ben Cutting, who played the last of his three ODIs more than 18 months ago, will play his first match of the series at the expense of Kane Richardson.
Nathan Lyon, who missed Wednesday's seven-wicket loss to South Africa, was recalled for the match that will take place on spin-friendly conditions at the Harare Sports Club.
Clarke suffered a hamstring strain during his first training session in Zimbabwe last week and missed the 198-run victory over the hosts on Monday and the loss to South Africa in the opening encounters of the triangular series.
Clarke, 33, who is desperate to return to competitive cricket after a four-month break, endured intensive physiotherapy to regain match fitness.
Zimbabwe must win the game to have a realistic chance of making the final, after both Australia and South Africa recorded bonus-point wins against them in the first round of matches.
Although the hosts have, on occasions, held their own with the ball – Prosper Utseya's hat-trick against South Africa on Friday being their most obvious highlight – their batsmen have failed to compete with the high-level opposition.
Zimbabwe have crossed 200 once in their last six ODI innings, and they were bowled out for 152 in the first game against Australia.
“It comes down to being ruthless,” captain Elton Chigumbura said. “Once you get yourself in, you must take the team through.
“We are having guys with good starts, but they are not following up. That’s the major thing that we need to address.”
Wicketkeeper-batsman Richmond Mutumbami on Friday was ruled out of the remainder of the series after he suffered a fractured arm while batting in the nets, so Brendan Taylor will keep the gloves.
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More from Neighbourhood Watch:
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In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Key changes
Commission caps
For life insurance products with a savings component, Peter Hodgins of Clyde & Co said different caps apply to the saving and protection elements:
• For the saving component, a cap of 4.5 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 90 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• On the protection component, there is a cap of 10 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 160 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• Indemnity commission, the amount of commission that can be advanced to a product salesperson, can be 50 per cent of the annualised premium for the first year or 50 per cent of the total commissions on the policy calculated.
• The remaining commission after deduction of the indemnity commission is paid equally over the premium payment term.
• For pure protection products, which only offer a life insurance component, the maximum commission will be 10 per cent of the annualised premium multiplied by the length of the policy in years.
Disclosure
Customers must now be provided with a full illustration of the product they are buying to ensure they understand the potential returns on savings products as well as the effects of any charges. There is also a “free-look” period of 30 days, where insurers must provide a full refund if the buyer wishes to cancel the policy.
“The illustration should provide for at least two scenarios to illustrate the performance of the product,” said Mr Hodgins. “All illustrations are required to be signed by the customer.”
Another illustration must outline surrender charges to ensure they understand the costs of exiting a fixed-term product early.
Illustrations must also be kept updatedand insurers must provide information on the top five investment funds available annually, including at least five years' performance data.
“This may be segregated based on the risk appetite of the customer (in which case, the top five funds for each segment must be provided),” said Mr Hodgins.
Product providers must also disclose the ratio of protection benefit to savings benefits. If a protection benefit ratio is less than 10 per cent "the product must carry a warning stating that it has limited or no protection benefit" Mr Hodgins added.
It’ll be summer in the city as car show tries to move with the times
If 2008 was the year that rocked Detroit, 2019 will be when Motor City gives its annual car extravaganza a revamp that aims to move with the times.
A major change is that this week's North American International Auto Show will be the last to be held in January, after which the event will switch to June.
The new date, organisers said, will allow exhibitors to move vehicles and activities outside the Cobo Center's halls and into other city venues, unencumbered by cold January weather, exemplified this week by snow and ice.
In a market in which trends can easily be outpaced beyond one event, the need to do so was probably exacerbated by the decision of Germany's big three carmakers – BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi – to skip the auto show this year.
The show has long allowed car enthusiasts to sit behind the wheel of the latest models at the start of the calendar year but a more fluid car market in an online world has made sales less seasonal.
Similarly, everyday technology seems to be catching up on those whose job it is to get behind microphones and try and tempt the visiting public into making a purchase.
Although sparkly announcers clasp iPads and outline the technical gadgetry hidden beneath bonnets, people's obsession with their own smartphones often appeared to offer a more tempting distraction.
“It's maddening,” said one such worker at Nissan's stand.
The absence of some pizzazz, as well as top marques, was also noted by patrons.
“It looks like there are a few less cars this year,” one annual attendee said of this year's exhibitors.
“I can't help but think it's easier to stay at home than to brave the snow and come here.”
