A five-match Test series in 2024 is as rare as they come. England's red-ball tour of India, which begins on Thursday, is therefore significant not only because it offers fans a "traditional" full-length series, but also because it will be the biggest test of their eye-catching "Bazball" approach to Test cricket.
The opening match between the teams starts in Hyderabad and, while the focus was almost exclusively on spin and the nature of the surfaces in the build-up, events away from the pitch added another layer of drama to the proceedings.
Shoaib Bashir's visa issues
England arrived in India with one of the most inexperienced spin attacks in decades. Tom Hartley, Rehan Ahmed and Shoaib Bashir were picked for one of the most daunting tasks in cricket for spinners, but only two of them will take the field on Thursday after young off-spinner Bashir could not travel to India in time due to delays in his visa.
Bashir, who is of Pakistani heritage, could not get his application approved and was forced to fly back to London from Abu Dhabi – where the team held their pre-series training – to resolve the issue, ruling him out of the first Test.
England captain Ben Stokes expressed his frustration at the turn of events, hoping the Somerset off-spinner joins the squad soon.
“I didn’t want this type of situation to be his first experience of what it’s like to be in the England Test team," Stokes said. "Especially for a young lad, I’m devastated for him."
India captain Rohit Sharma also expressed his sympathy. "I feel for him honestly," said Sharma.
"Unfortunately, I don't sit in the visa office to give you more details on that but hopefully he can make it quickly, enjoy our country and play some cricket as well. It's not easy for anyone, it could be one of our guys wanting to come to England and being denied."
Later on Wednesday, it emerged that Bashir had been granted visa and should join the England team in India by the weekend.
It is not the first time players with Pakistani heritage have experienced visa issues in India. Batsman Usman Khawaja joined Australia's squad late last year and Lancashire's Saqib Mahmood faced visa issues during an England Lions visit in 2019.
England batsman Harry Brook earlier opted out of the entire tour due to personal reasons, leaving the visitors without one of their premier batsmen. With Bashir also unavailable, the England camp will have a few tense faces.
Spin is king
England have placed all their eggs in one basket for the first Test, picking three frontline spinners and just one seamer for the match in Uppal. Hartley will make his Test debut as one of three slow bowlers, with Joe Root the fourth spin option.
Lancashire left-armer Hartley will bowl alongside the established Jack Leach and teenage leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed. Mark Wood has been picked as the only pacer with England's record wicket-taker James Anderson sitting out and captain Stokes not bowling as yet.
India, on the other hand, have a problem of plenty. Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is one the verge of 500 Test wickets, while left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja enjoys sensational figures with ball and bat in India. Fellow left-armers Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav complete the spin quartet, leaving captain Sharma with the unenviable task of selecting three out of the four, in case seamers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Siraj get selected.
No Virat Kohli
Equally significant will be the absence of star batsman Virat Kohli, who will miss the opening two Tests due to personal reasons. His unavailability has opened up opportunities for other younger members of the team.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul should expect an extended run, with newcomer Rajat Patidar said to be next in line to make it to the batting line-up.
Kohli and Sharma have been making themselves unavailable for international assignments every now and then over the recent season across formats, paving the way for the next generation of players to put their case forward and set the stage for a smooth transition, which seems closer than ever.
All-rounders Ashwin and Jadeja are more than capable batsmen in home conditions, providing India incredible depth, which will only deepen if Patel also gets selected.
Venues
The Pataudi Trophy will be contested over mostly non-traditional centres in India this year. After the opening match in Hyderabad, the series moves to Visakhapatnam for the second match, which begins on February 2. Rajkot (February 15), Ranchi (February 23) and Dharamsala (March 7) are the other venues for the series.
There is a chance that most of the venues will offer more spin than the "regular" Test venues in India, which could make for a very short series.
How to watch India v England Test series in UAE
The five-match series will be shown on CricLife 2 via STARZPLAY app in the UAE.
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Scores
New Zealand 266 for 9 in 50 overs
Pakistan 219 all out in 47.2 overs
New Zealand win by 47 runs
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Anxiety and work stress major factors
Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.
A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.
Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.
One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.
It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."
Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.
“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi.
“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."
Daniel Bardsley
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
More from Neighbourhood Watch
The specs: 2018 Jaguar E-Pace First Edition
Price, base / as tested: Dh186,480 / Dh252,735
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 246hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 365Nm @ 1,200rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.7L / 100km
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'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
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The years Ramadan fell in May
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Pakistan Super League
Previous winners
2016 Islamabad United
2017 Peshawar Zalmi
2018 Islamabad United
2019 Quetta Gladiators
Most runs Kamran Akmal – 1,286
Most wickets Wahab Riaz –65
Basquiat in Abu Dhabi
One of Basquiat’s paintings, the vibrant Cabra (1981–82), now hangs in Louvre Abu Dhabi temporarily, on loan from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
The latter museum is not open physically, but has assembled a collection and puts together a series of events called Talking Art, such as this discussion, moderated by writer Chaedria LaBouvier.
It's something of a Basquiat season in Abu Dhabi at the moment. Last week, The Radiant Child, a documentary on Basquiat was shown at Manarat Al Saadiyat, and tonight (April 18) the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is throwing the re-creation of a party tonight, of the legendary Canal Zone party thrown in 1979, which epitomised the collaborative scene of the time. It was at Canal Zone that Basquiat met prominent members of the art world and moved from unknown graffiti artist into someone in the spotlight.
“We’ve invited local resident arists, we’ll have spray cans at the ready,” says curator Maisa Al Qassemi of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's Canal Zone Remix is at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Thursday April 18, from 8pm. Free entry to all. Basquiat's Cabra is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi until October
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
The Specs:
The Specs:
Engine: 2.9-litre, V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 444bhp
Torque: 600Nm
Price: AED 356,580 incl VAT
On sale: now.
Mobile phone packages comparison
UAE players with central contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.
RESULTS
Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) beat Ahmed Saeb (IRQ) by decision.
Women’s bantamweight
Corinne Laframboise (CAN) beat Cornelia Holm (SWE) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Omar Hussein (PAL) beat Vitalii Stoian (UKR) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) beat Ali Dyusenov (UZB) by unanimous decision.
Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) beat Delfin Nawen (PHI) TKO round-3.
Catchweight 80kg
Seb Eubank (GBR) beat Emad Hanbali (SYR) KO round 1.
Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Ramadan Noaman (EGY) TKO round 2.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) beat Reydon Romero (PHI) submission 1.
Welterweight
Juho Valamaa (FIN) beat Ahmed Labban (LEB) by unanimous decision.
Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) beat Austin Arnett (USA) by unanimous decision.
Super heavyweight
Maciej Sosnowski (POL) beat Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) by submission round 1.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
