Ben Stokes will captain England for the first time in next week's opening Test against the West Indies, taking over from Joe Root as he takes time out for the birth of his second child.
Root's wife Carrie is due to give birth later this week and, with the strict protocols in place to ensure the series takes place in a 'bio-secure' environment, he will need to be isolated from the group for at least a week on his return from hospital.
That means the rubber-stamping of Stokes' temporary promotion at the Ageas Bowl next week, having never before taken the reins in his professional career.
The team's star all-rounder will not have to wait long for a chance to hone his skills, heading up one of the sides in a three-day internal squad match starting in Southampton on Wednesday.
With Root heading north to join his family in Sheffield, Jos Buttler will captain the other in a game that sees 27 of the country's best red-ball players go head to head.
Buttler will also serve as Stokes' vice-captain in the first Test, reprising his long-term role under Eoin Morgan in the limited-overs side and one he has previously performed in support of Root.
Buttler's nomination also appears to settle one of the key selection questions.
He has not scored the runs to indisputably nail down his position as wicketkeeper-batsman and, with Jonny Bairstow and Ben Foakes circling, there had been some suggestion he could be steered towards one-day specialism this summer. For now, at least, that will not be happening.
Stokes has been preparing for this moment ever since the schedule confirmed a likely clash for Root, and declared earlier this week that he plans to be an attacking captain - in keeping with his all-action style on the field.
Head coach Chris Silverwood has no qualms about his credentials, despite his own admission that he last led a team as a teenager in the Durham academy.
"I think he'll do a great job. He is a talisman, he leads from the front anyway," said Silverwood.
"It will be interesting to see what he does because obviously it is his first time captaining England. We know he has got an aggressive nature but equally there is a good cricket brain in there as well.
"I think he will be quite vocal about what moves he is making when he is out there and I'm looking forward to working with him from a coaching point of view.
"He's been Rooty's right-hand man for a while now. I know Rooty does turn to him a lot and he's been involved in a lot of talks we have behind the scenes. He's in a great place to pick up the reins."
Before the announcement, Stokes said he had never set a goal to become England captain but he was nevertheless looking forward to the opportunity.
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Ben Stokes in 2019: a year to remember
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"If you look at Alastair Cook he was destined to be captain after Andrew Strauss and Root was destined to be captain after Cook, you know who the next one will be when one is coming towards the end of his career," he said on Monday.
"If I'm being honest, I'm not one of those who people would necessarily associate with being next England captain. But I am looking forward to the opportunity of doing it."
Stokes has asked for – and been granted – a voice in the final team selection, though the bulk of the team's established pecking order should remain intact.
Among the positions that are still to be tussled over during a rare 'England versus England' clash – namely Root's replacement at No 4, the first-choice spinner and which fast bowlers make the XI.
The likeliest top-order options are split equally between the two sides, Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley on one, with Rory Burns and Joe Denly in the other, while Dan Lawrence and Jonny Bairstow are each pencilled in to Root's usual spot.
In the spin department, the returning Moeen Ali and Jack Leach line-up for Team Stokes while Dom Bess and Matt Parkinson represent Team Buttler.
Long-time new ball partners James Anderson and Stuart Broad will be in separate changing rooms, each fronting a packed seam attack.
In all, six uncapped players make the cut, with only Somerset's Jamie Overton and Surrey's Amar Virdi left out from the original training group of 30.
"You know the people who are the mainstay of our side, the engine room, but this is a great opportunity for some of the other players to show us what they can do in this game," said Silverwood.
"We've mixed the sides up to make it as competitive as possible and to have a good game going into this first Test. I'm sure there'll be a few in there who are very keen to impress."
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
more from Janine di Giovanni
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MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
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Going grey? A stylist's advice
If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Veere di Wedding
Dir: Shashanka Ghosh
Starring: Kareena Kapoo-Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania
Verdict: 4 Stars
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
Places to go for free coffee
- Cherish Cafe Dubai, Dubai Investment Park, are giving away free coffees all day.
- La Terrace, Four Points by Sheraton Bur Dubai, are serving their first 50 guests one coffee and four bite-sized cakes
- Wild & The Moon will be giving away a free espresso with every purchase on International Coffee Day
- Orange Wheels welcome parents are to sit, relax and enjoy goodies at ‘Café O’ along with a free coffee
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
Match info
Huddersfield Town 0
Chelsea 3
Kante (34'), Jorginho (45' pen), Pedro (80')
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
PREMIER LEAGUE STATS
Romelu Lukaku's goalscoring statistics in the Premier League
Season/club/appearances (substitute)/goals
2011/12 Chelsea: 8(7) - 0
2012/13 West Brom (loan): 35(15) - 17
2013/14 Chelsea: 2(2) - 0
2013/14 Everton (loan): 31(2) - 15
2014/15 Everton: 36(4) - 10
2015/16 Everton: 37(1) - 18
2016/17 Everton: 37(1) - 25
The specs
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Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
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Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
