The pressure will well and truly be on England when they host India in the third Test which begins at Headingley on Wednesday after yet another front-line bowler picked up an injury.
England came within touching distance of victory on Day 5 of the second Test at Lord's snaring eight second innings wickets with India's lead under 200. But fast bowlers Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah starred in an 89-run stand to turn the tables and from there, it was India all the way.
Virat Kohli's pace quartet, which also included Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Siraj, ran through England's batting in less than 52 overs to seal a 151-run win to take a 1-0 lead.
To make matters worse, England pacer Mark Wood injured his shoulder while fielding on Day 4, and continued to bowl on the final day. As expected, he was declared unfit for the third Test, further depleting England's pool of available fast bowlers.
Joe Root's team were already without Jofra Archer and Chris Woakes, while all-rounder Ben Stokes is on an indefinite break from cricket. Then seasoned seamer Stuart Broad picked up a calf injury that ruled him out of the series and now Wood is also missing.
James Anderson will now have to carry the bowling attack on his shoulders, with Ollie Robinson, Sam Curran and, possibly, Saqib Mahmood providing support.
Their batting has been problematic as well, with Root's two tons and a fifty compensating for the lack of runs from others. The hosts dropped Dom Sibley following the opener's dismal run of low scores that has seen him average 19.77 in 10 Tests this year. They are likely to promote Haseeb Hameed, who is himself struggling for form, from three to partner Rory Burns at the top of the order.
Root said he will try to make sure the team does not get distracted from the task at hand. There were some altercations between players from both sides during the second Test, which probably resulted in the lack of discipline in England's bowling when India were eight down on the final day.
“We’ve got to make sure that we play the game how we want to play and we look after that as best as we can, and not get too distracted or drawn into anything that’s not honest,” Root said.
“We’ve got to be genuine to ourselves, genuine to how we are as individuals and how we are collectively and be as good as we can, the way that we go. Virat’s team will play how they play, I just want us to go out and be the best version of ourselves.”
The Indian camp, however, is in a much better position. Their pacers hunted as a pack with Siraj landing the final blow to secure victory at the 'home of cricket'.
Openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul enjoyed a century stand in the first innings at Lord's and have looked in command this tour. Their lower middle order of Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja have made sizeable contributions.
They will still have some concerns about their middle order, though. Captain Virat Kohli has not scored a Test ton since November 2019 and while Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara came good in the second outing at Lord's with a century stand, that came after a number of low scores; Rahane has two fifties in his last 15 outings, while Pujara's 45 in the second innings at Lord's was his best score in 11 innings. Whether all three have put their indifferent form behind them remains to be seen.
Kohli said that he didn't want to break up a winning combination but admitted he was tempted by the look of the Headingley pitch to play off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.
“As far as Ashwin's playing is concerned, we're quite surprised to see the pitch,” Kohli said on Tuesday. “I thought there'll be more grass on the pitch and it'll be more spicy and lively, but it wasn't the case. So, yeah, anything is possible.
“We always name our 12 and then on the day, we have a look at the pitch and what it could become on day three, day four and accordingly we will go in with the right combination.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
MATCH INFO
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium, Malayisa
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
* Second leg in Australia on October 10
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
The BIO:
He became the first Emirati to climb Mount Everest in 2011, from the south section in Nepal
He ascended Mount Everest the next year from the more treacherous north Tibetan side
By 2015, he had completed the Explorers Grand Slam
Last year, he conquered K2, the world’s second-highest mountain located on the Pakistan-Chinese border
He carries dried camel meat, dried dates and a wheat mixture for the final summit push
His new goal is to climb 14 peaks that are more than 8,000 metres above sea level
UAE finals day
Friday, April 13
Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
3pm, UAE Conference: Dubai Tigers v Sharjah Wanderers
6.30pm, UAE Premiership: Dubai Exiles v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Milkman by Anna Burns
Ordinary People by Diana Evans
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Circe by Madeline Miller
When Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi
Known as The Lady of Arabic Song, Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi on November 28, 1971, as part of celebrations for the fifth anniversary of the accession of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as Ruler of Abu Dhabi. A concert hall was constructed for the event on land that is now Al Nahyan Stadium, behind Al Wahda Mall. The audience were treated to many of Kulthum's most well-known songs as part of the sold-out show, including Aghadan Alqak and Enta Omri.
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Nick's journey in numbers
Countries so far: 85
Flights: 149
Steps: 3.78 million
Calories: 220,000
Floors climbed: 2,000
Donations: GPB37,300
Prostate checks: 5
Blisters: 15
Bumps on the head: 2
Dog bites: 1
Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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