Australia are under orders to be vigilant as security becomes a priority for all Champions Trophy teams, but Steve Smith knows they must leave those concerns off the pitch against Bangladesh at The Oval.
Smith’s men practised as scheduled at the ground yesterday, barely 12 hours after the terror attack at nearby London Bridge killed seven people and injured a further 48.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has released a statement confirming enhanced security measures would continue to be reviewed “in line with the threat levels”.
“Like the rest of the world, the Australian cricket team is shocked and saddened by the events that occurred here in London last night,” Smith said.
“Our thoughts are with everyone that was directly involved, and their loved ones as well.
“Everyone on the Australian cricket team is accounted for, and … the security at this time involving the ICC are happy that we continue to progress through this tournament.”
To do that, after their rainy no-result against New Zealand at Edgbaston, victory over Bangladesh appears essential.
It will be a challenge for all, though, to concentrate on the cricket at a time when England has suffered two major terror attacks in under two weeks.
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Read more
■ Champions Trophy: Anil Kumble's uncertain future dominates build-up to India v Pakistan
■ Champions Trophy: Australia v New Zealand ends in no result due to rain
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“You never want to see that happening around the world – particularly when we’re so close to the events that happened last night,” Smith said.
“We’ve been briefed by our security team this morning, and they are comfortable with where security is at.
“For us, it’s about just being diligent with everything that we do and continuing the tournament as usual.”
All competing teams were quickly put in lock-down at their hotels on Saturday night.
“Guys were a little bit concerned at the time, and didn’t really know what to do,” the Australia captain said.
“So Frank, our security guy, just made sure we remained in the hotel and stayed safe.
“I think everyone was on the phone letting their loved ones back home know that everyone was OK with everyone involved [in] our team.”
When Australia’s campaign resumes today, Smith hopes his bowlers will prove they have heeded his criticism of their efforts in Birmingham – and from the way they have responded in practice, he believes they will.
“They were pretty fiery in the nets today … I copped quite a few short ones,” he said. “Maybe they are listening.”
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
My Country: A Syrian Memoir
Kassem Eid, Bloomsbury
The biog
From: Upper Egypt
Age: 78
Family: a daughter in Egypt; a son in Dubai and his wife, Nabila
Favourite Abu Dhabi activity: walking near to Emirates Palace
Favourite building in Abu Dhabi: Emirates Palace
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Read more from Aya Iskandarani
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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
Review: Tomb Raider
Dir: Roar Uthaug
Starring: Alicia Vikander, Dominic West, Daniel Wu, Walter Goggins
two stars
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
MATCH INFO
Qalandars 112-4 (10 ovs)
Banton 53 no
Northern Warriors 46 all out (9 ovs)
Kumara 3-10, Garton 3-10, Jordan 2-2, Prasanna 2-7
Qalandars win by six wickets
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