England cricket will take its first tentative steps into a new era when the first Test against the West Indies begins in Antigua on Tuesday.
The three-match Test series in the Caribbean can be described as the beginning of the end of the record-breaking seam bowling partnership of James Anderson and Stuart Broad.
The veteran seamers have been one of the greatest exponents of swing and seam bowling and have served English cricket with distinction, picking up a combined 1,177 wickets in Tests. However, England went for a new-look Test side for the tour of Caribbean, leaving out eight players who featured in the 4-0 Ashes thrashing in Australia.
Anderson and Broad were the most high-profile names to be sidelined, even if temporarily. England's reliance on the veteran quicks meant they enjoyed success at home but were left exposed in unfavourable conditions overseas, especially on batting friendly surfaces.
Now, the leadership reins have been passed on to the likes of Chris Woakes and Mark Wood. However, the lack of depth in the pace bowling group will be a concern. Seamer Ollie Robinson has been ruled out of the first Test with a back spasm, allowing uncapped quick Saqib Mahmood to step into the squad.
Interim head coach Paul Collingwood and captain Joe Root must now decide whether to hand the Lancashire quick a debut on Tuesday in an all-pace attack or select left-arm spinner Jack Leach.
Craig Overton seems certain to play, Wood has recovered from illness and Woakes is most likely to lead the attack. But without Anderson and Broad, there are obvious concerns.
"Ollie is a talented bowler. Naturally he'll be a big miss," said Woakes.
"He's shown in his short Test career so far that he's certainly got the skills and the ability to do good things in the format. At the same time, it gives people opportunities.
"We're trying to win games of cricket here, but it does give that chance to someone to potentially make their Test debut who's been waiting in the wings for quite a while to show what they can do at this level."
Their opponents know England will still be licking their wounds from the Ashes defeat. West Indies pace spearhead Kemar Roach said he was surprised to see England leave out his old sparring partners Anderson and Broad and believes the move is good news for his side.
As the leader of the West Indies attack, Roach has enjoyed his battles against the experienced pair and thinks they will be missed.
"It was quite surprising. I definitely thought both would still be involved," he said.
"Decisions have been made from that end and it's a slight advantage for us. Those experienced players missing leaves a little bit of a hole for England to fill.
"Robinson, Woakes and Wood are still fantastic bowlers, we still take them seriously, but once we get our plans right we should be good going into the series."
The one player who will possibly be under the most scrutiny is England captain Root. The top-order batsman had earlier said he was thankful to still hold his post after the crushing Ashes series loss.
The 4-0 result in Australia saw England director of cricket Ashley Giles, head coach Chris Silverwood and batting coach Graham Thorpe all sacked.
Root was spared the axe, with some suggesting a lack of viable and long-term alternatives possibly saved his position.
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Director: Shashank Khaitan
Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Two-step truce
The UN-brokered ceasefire deal for Hodeidah will be implemented in two stages, with the first to be completed before the New Year begins, according to the Arab Coalition supporting the Yemeni government.
By midnight on December 31, the Houthi rebels will have to withdraw from the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Issa and Al Saqef, coalition officials told The National.
The second stage will be the complete withdrawal of all pro-government forces and rebels from Hodeidah city, to be completed by midnight on January 7.
The process is to be overseen by a Redeployment Co-ordination Committee (RCC) comprising UN monitors and representatives of the government and the rebels.
The agreement also calls the deployment of UN-supervised neutral forces in the city and the establishment of humanitarian corridors to ensure distribution of aid across the country.
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The years Ramadan fell in May
Financial considerations before buying a property
Buyers should try to pay as much in cash as possible for a property, limiting the mortgage value to as little as they can afford. This means they not only pay less in interest but their monthly costs are also reduced. Ideally, the monthly mortgage payment should not exceed 20 per cent of the purchaser’s total household income, says Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching.
“If it’s a rental property, plan for the property to have periods when it does not have a tenant. Ensure you have enough cash set aside to pay the mortgage and other costs during these periods, ideally at least six months,” she says.
Also, shop around for the best mortgage interest rate. Understand the terms and conditions, especially what happens after any introductory periods, Ms Glynn adds.
Using a good mortgage broker is worth the investment to obtain the best rate available for a buyer’s needs and circumstances. A good mortgage broker will help the buyer understand the terms and conditions of the mortgage and make the purchasing process efficient and easier.
School counsellors on mental well-being
Schools counsellors in Abu Dhabi have put a number of provisions in place to help support pupils returning to the classroom next week.
Many children will resume in-person lessons for the first time in 10 months and parents previously raised concerns about the long-term effects of distance learning.
Schools leaders and counsellors said extra support will be offered to anyone that needs it. Additionally, heads of years will be on hand to offer advice or coping mechanisms to ease any concerns.
“Anxiety this time round has really spiralled, more so than from the first lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic,” said Priya Mitchell, counsellor at The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi.
“Some have got used to being at home don’t want to go back, while others are desperate to get back.
“We have seen an increase in depressive symptoms, especially with older pupils, and self-harm is starting younger.
“It is worrying and has taught us how important it is that we prioritise mental well-being.”
Ms Mitchell said she was liaising more with heads of year so they can support and offer advice to pupils if the demand is there.
The school will also carry out mental well-being checks so they can pick up on any behavioural patterns and put interventions in place to help pupils.
At Raha International School, the well-being team has provided parents with assessment surveys to see how they can support students at home to transition back to school.
“They have created a Well-being Resource Bank that parents have access to on information on various domains of mental health for students and families,” a team member said.
“Our pastoral team have been working with students to help ease the transition and reduce anxiety that [pupils] may experience after some have been nearly a year off campus.
"Special secondary tutorial classes have also focused on preparing students for their return; going over new guidelines, expectations and daily schedules.”
