WORCESTER // Mitchell Johnson struck twice after lunch and England hopeful Ian Bell was dismissed after a slow-going 20 in the final warm-up game at New Road yesterday.
After declaring at lunch with a lead of 444 runs, the tourists made quick inroads into the Lions' top order with first innings centurion Stephen Moore and Joe Denly exiting to Johnson.
Moore was snapped up at second slip by Ricky Ponting for 16 and Denly was caught behind for 36 before Bell departed just before tea to leave England's second-string side 105 for three.
Bell was being watched first-hand by the England selectors and captain Andrew Strauss in Worcester.
But the Lions captain never got going in a careful 63-ball knock before being caught at short leg off the bowling of Nathan Hauritz. He made a first ball duck in the first innings.
Johnson was expensive, but his pace was back over 90mph and the left-armer also showed glimpses of the reverse swing which booked Brett Lee's berth in the Test line-up for Wednesday's opener at Cardiff.
Ponting turned to part-time spinner Marcus North ahead of the out-of-touch Hauritz, who is looking increasingly unlikely to make his debut next week.
But the specialist off-spinner eventually came on 15 minutes before the tea interval and struck in his third over.
Earlier, North - who had been doubtful about his place in the side prior to this following a series of low scores - marched his way to an unbeaten 191 in Australia's 438 for four declared.
Mike Hussey hit a run-a-ball 62 before the batsman retired hurt with a sore ankle. Hussey, who scored 150 in the first innings to dispel any suggestion his international powers were on the wane, returned to the field 10 minutes after lunch.
Australia's top seven have all posted half-centuries in their two warm-up matches.
* AFP
ICC Awards for 2021
MEN
Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)
WOMEN
Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (India)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England)
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.