Star India batsman Virat Kohli has been fined for barging into 19-year-old Australian debutant Sam Konstas on an explosive first day of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne on Thursday.
After the end of the day's play, the ICC fined Kohli 20 per cent of his match fee and handed him one demerit point for breaching the code of conduct, leaving him free to play in the remainder of the fifth and final Test in Sydney.
Konstas stunned the Indian team with an extraordinary fifty on debut, playing incredibly audacious shots that could be deemed dangerous even for T20 cricket.
A mix of reverse scoops and flicks, especially against India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, brought the MCG alive and forced India early on to the backfoot. His innings clearly rattled the visitors and the situation came to a boil when Kohli bumped into the 19-year-old as he walked down the pitch for a chat with fellow opener Usman Khawaja at the end of the 10th over.
Replays showed Kohli changed his path as he crossed over and walked towards Konstas, resulting in the physical contact.
There was a heated exchange of words between Kohli and Konstas, prompting umpire Michael Gough and Khawaja to step in.
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting, who was covering the game for host broadcaster Seven Network, said Kohli was in the wrong.
"That man (Kohli) might have a few questions to answer," Ponting said. "When you’re out there batting, the batsman owns the wicket. The crease is his. Especially between overs like that. Virat’s walked one whole pitch over to his right and instigated that.”
Former England captain Michael Vaughan also put the blame on the 36-year-old.
"Virat Kohli is such an experienced pro, being wound up by a 19-year-old," the former batsman said on Fox Cricket. "It's Virat that walks into Sam."
Called up in place of Nathan McSweeney, Australia's youngest-ever opener opted to face the first over from Bumrah and survived a testing opening burst where he was beaten several times.
Konstas then decided to hit Bumrah off his length as he reverse ramped him for two fours and a six in one over, bringing the crowd alive.
Then came the flare-up between Kohli and Konstas. But the teenager refused to take a step back as he slammed 18 off the next Bumrah over, including another six.
His half-century came off just 52 balls with two from Mohammed Siraj – the third-fastest on debut for Australia.
Konstas was eventually dismissed for 60 off 65 balls, trapped lbw by Ravindra Jadeja before lunch.
At the other end Khawaja played cautiously on a tricky surface to grind his way to a 27th Test fifty.
Bumrah finally removed him after a 121-ball stay with Khawaja's pull shot going only as far as KL Rahul at midwicket.
Thereafter, Australia's batting mainstays Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith put their head down and carried the innings forward.
Both looked fairly comfortable despite the scoring rate slowing down after the dismissal of Konstas and took the score past 200 for the loss of just two wickets.
India's fifth and sixth bowlers had been pressed into play. Off-spinner Washington Sundar, selected in place of batsman Shubman Gill, provided the breakthrough as he got Labuschagne driving down the ground, caught by Kohli for a well made 72.
Australia suffered a mini-collapse as they went from 237-2 to 246-5. The dangerous Travis Head was ought for a duck, shouldering arms to Bumrah, while out-of-form Mitchell Marsh swung wildly at Bumrah to nick one behind.
Smith held one end up, bringing up a masterful fifty and received good support from wicketkeeper Alex Carey (31) who helped take the score towards 300.
Former captain Smith was unbeaten on 68 as the Aussies closed the day on 311-6 in front of more than 87,000 fans.
Quick facts on cancer
- Cancer is the second-leading cause of death worldwide, after cardiovascular diseases
- About one in five men and one in six women will develop cancer in their lifetime
- By 2040, global cancer cases are on track to reach 30 million
- 70 per cent of cancer deaths occur in low and middle-income countries
- This rate is expected to increase to 75 per cent by 2030
- At least one third of common cancers are preventable
- Genetic mutations play a role in 5 per cent to 10 per cent of cancers
- Up to 3.7 million lives could be saved annually by implementing the right health
strategies
- The total annual economic cost of cancer is $1.16 trillion
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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DRIVERS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
1. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) 171 points
2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP) 151
3. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-GP) 136
4. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull Racing) 107
5. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 83
6. Sergio Perez (Force India) 50
7. Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) 45
8. Esteban Ocon (Force India) 39
9. Carlos Sainz (Torro Rosso) 29
10. Felipe Massa (Williams) 22
States of Passion by Nihad Sirees,
Pushkin Press
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
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
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh100,000 (estimate)
Engine 2.4L four-cylinder
Gearbox Nine-speed automatic
Power 184bhp at 6,400rpm
Torque 237Nm at 3,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.4L/100km
Jawan
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Keane on …
Liverpool’s Uefa Champions League bid: “They’re great. With the attacking force they have, for me, they’re certainly one of the favourites. You look at the teams left in it - they’re capable of scoring against anybody at any given time. Defensively they’ve been good, so I don’t see any reason why they couldn’t go on and win it.”
Mohamed Salah’s debut campaign at Anfield: “Unbelievable. He’s been phenomenal. You can name the front three, but for him on a personal level, he’s been unreal. He’s been great to watch and hopefully he can continue now until the end of the season - which I’m sure he will, because he’s been in fine form. He’s been incredible this season.”
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s instant impact at former club LA Galaxy: “Brilliant. It’s been a great start for him and for the club. They were crying out for another big name there. They were lacking that, for the prestige of LA Galaxy. And now they have one of the finest stars. I hope they can go win something this year.”
