Do you remember the first Test between India and England in Chennai? England dominated that game; Joe Root scored a double ton, Ben Stokes and Dom Sibley made 80s. James Anderson reversed the ball beautifully in the second innings. It was a dream match for the visitors.
A few players in the England set-up might be wondering if that really happened. Because if it did, then how did a team that made nearly 600 in the first innings of the tour score 200 only once in the next seven innings and lose 3-1?
A few things transpired. First, India activated their 'factory setting' – dry pitches where the ball turns from day one, session one. Such was the shock of those surfaces in Chennai – for the second Test – and Ahmedabad, they triggered questions about the fundamentals of the game; What is 'fair'? Are pitches supposed to help spinners from the start? Should Tests last at least four days?
There was consternation after the Ahmedabad pink-ball Test where both teams were bundled out for less than 150 in the first innings, even resulting in calls for India's Test Championship points to be deducted for providing an underprepared pitch.
But the fact is India scored good runs – 329, 286, 49-0 and 365 – in four out of five innings. So it could not have been all bad. Whether there was balance between bat and ball is subject to debate, but how can you punish a team for playing to their advantage?
When teams play on fairly similar surfaces for four Tests, or three and a half if you take out the first innings in Chennai, the only differentiating factor is the performance of the players. You can get lucky once, maybe twice, but not every time over a month. So if we agree on that, two factors emerge as decisive in the final outcome.
The first goes by the name of Axar Patel. Surely even Virat Kohli couldn't have imagined stumbling upon another gun spinner who bats lower down the order and bowls fast and accurate left-arm darts. In six innings, Patel picked up 27 wickets at an average of under 11. There were four five-wicket hauls in there as well.
The pace he bowled at and the height from where the ball was released could not have been more ideal for the surfaces on offer. Even India's top order, which did not cover itself in glory against England's 'lesser' spinners Jack Leach, Joe Root and Dom Bess and had to be rescued by lower order runs from Rishabh Pant, Ravichandran Ashwin, Washington Sundar and Patel himself, would have struggled against the left-arm grenades.
In fact, Patel was arguably even more effective than Ashwin's 400-Test wickets-strong off-spin.
Ashwin was a class apart, but there is little doubt he would have felt the pressure if he had a diffident Kuldeep Yadav or Shahbaz Nadeem at the other end. Both were nowhere near as effective in the limited chances they were offered in the Test series. Also, if Ashwin had been asked to bowl a bulk of the overs, his body could have felt the strain by the third Test; the veteran spinner does not have the best record of maintaining his fitness and intensity in a long series.
The second big factor was England's selection. Or rotation, or whatever it is they called their plan.
It was evident that this year's focus was going to be on the T20 World Cup in India. All personnel decisions were to be made keeping white-ball captain Eoin Morgan's plans in mind. Which is why multi-format players like Moeen Ali, Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow were rotated while Sam Curran and Mark Wood did not get to play at all.
The decision to play three seamers on a spinning surface in the pink-ball Test simply because it was a day-night affair or the move to go in with just three frontline bowlers on a more responsive pitch in the fourth Test showed England were running out of ideas or, possibly, interest. India does that to the best of teams.
Moeen was sent away, as part of a predetermined rotation policy, after the second Test where he was the best England player with the ball and bat. Bess was called back for the final Test after being dropped for failing to land the ball regularly in the first match. It was a self-inflicted hardship there was no need for, T20 World Cup or no T20 World Cup.
So on one hand you had the most devastating spinner on responsive wickets. And on the other, a team that made poor selection calls while focusing on a white-ball tournament in the winter.
What else did you expect?
SPECS
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
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Winners
Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski
Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea
Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona
Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)
Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)
Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Best National Team of the Year: Italy
Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello
Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)
Player Career Award: Ronaldinho
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
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Tips from the expert
Dobromir Radichkov, chief data officer at dubizzle and Bayut, offers a few tips for UAE residents looking to earn some cash from pre-loved items.
- Sellers should focus on providing high-quality used goods at attractive prices to buyers.
- It’s important to use clear and appealing photos, with catchy titles and detailed descriptions to capture the attention of prospective buyers.
- Try to advertise a realistic price to attract buyers looking for good deals, especially in the current environment where consumers are significantly more price-sensitive.
- Be creative and look around your home for valuable items that you no longer need but might be useful to others.
if you go
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
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Price: From Dh126,000
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The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont
Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950
Engine 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km
Disposing of non-recycleable masks
Use your ‘black bag’ bin at home
Do not put them in a recycling bin
Take them home with you if there is no litter bin
- No need to bag the mask
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
2019 ASIAN CUP FINAL
Japan v Qatar
Friday, 6pm
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
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Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
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Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
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Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 400hp
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
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Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
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.
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
If you go…
Emirates launched a new daily service to Mexico City this week, flying via Barcelona from Dh3,995.
Emirati citizens are among 67 nationalities who do not require a visa to Mexico. Entry is granted on arrival for stays of up to 180 days.
Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
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On sale: now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
The biog
First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974
Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008
Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen
Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region
Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work
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
