After 144 years, cricket’s longest format should finally get its first official champion after India and New Zealand do battle in the maiden World Test Championship final.
The match schedule has been extended by a day – from five to six – to try to ensure there is a winner. Even then, though, the UK weather might play spoilsport.
It would be pushing it to suggest the first WTC has been a wild success, delivering on the promise to restore big crowds to the format.
The final does, though, unquestionably pit together the two best sides in Test cricket. So who is going to win out?
The captains
The sides will be led by two players who could each lay a fair claim to being the best all-court batsman in the world.
Kane Williamson missed the second of New Zealand’s Tests against England with an elbow injury, but is said to be fit to return for the final.
Oddly, given his excellence everywhere else, England has seldom been a happy hunting ground for Williamson in Tests. His average of 26.10 is less than half his career batting average.
His opposite number, Virat Kohli, is set to captain India for the 61st time, moving him ahead of MS Dhoni as the man to have led India in the most Tests.
He has won 60 per cent of those matches, which is the best rate of any India captain, too.
The key battles
Kyle Jamieson reportedly opted out of bowling to Kohli at Royal Challengers Bangalore nets during this year’s IPL. Apparently, he was playing the long game: he did not want to provide a chance for the RCB captain to formulate a plan to face him.
Kohli had been Jamieson’s second Test match wicket, when the 6ft 8in bowler burst on the scene in his debut series last year.
He excelled in that series on home soil, and might find conditions in England suit him, too – although there was not much evidence to go on during the one Test he played at Lord’s earlier this summer.
India’s seamers, too, will find much to like about bowling at Southampton. Crucial to their hopes of success will be how quickly they can find a method to stop Devon Conway, the New Zealand opener who was a revelation in his debut series against England.
The dilemmas
Both sides will be factoring in spin issues when settling on their final XI. For India, that will be about how many spinners they should play. For New Zealand, it could be about whether they play one at all.
The Black Caps’ main selection dilemma appears to be whether to play Colin de Grandhomme – and thus strengthen their batting – or left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel.
Patel, who will be facing the country of his birth if he does play, did well when the opportunity arose against England in the second Test at Edgbaston. But his selection would lengthen New Zealand’s tail.
The fact the match is due to last six days, rather than five, could prompt more attritional batting than usual. Increased wear of the pitch could also make a spin option even more vital.
Although, that said, having plenty of days of cricket scheduled does not guarantee plenty of overs will be bowled.
The weather
It’s summer. In England. What else would people want to talk about other than the weather?
The scheduled fourth day of the final will be the summer solstice. The longest day of the year, the height of summer.
So, predictably, rain is forecast. In fact, rain is forecast on all but the second day of the match. The UK’s Met Office have even provided a yellow warning, meaning they anticipate there could be flooding.
The ground
It feels a pity this game – purported to be the pinnacle of the Test game – will be being played at the Ageas Bowl.
Although it is agreeably well-appointed – especially in Covid-times – it does lack the history and allure of Lord’s, which had been scheduled to stage the final before the pandemic.
Southampton has played host to just six Test matches so far – none of which has ended in a draw.
The ground is generally felt to favour seamers. In the three Test matches which were played there in the lockdown summer last year, only 12 wickets fell to spin.
However, when India played England there in 2018, off-spinner Moeen Ali was man of the match for taking nine wickets in the match.
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
What is safeguarding?
“Safeguarding, not just in sport, but in all walks of life, is making sure that policies are put in place that make sure your child is safe; when they attend a football club, a tennis club, that there are welfare officers at clubs who are qualified to a standard to make sure your child is safe in that environment,” Derek Bell explains.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
If you go:
Getting there:
Flying to Guyana requires first reaching New York with either Emirates or Etihad, then connecting with JetBlue or Caribbean Air at JFK airport. Prices start from around Dh7,000.
Getting around:
Wildlife Worldwide offers a range of Guyana itineraries, such as its small group tour, the 15-day ‘Ultimate Guyana Nature Experience’ which features Georgetown, the Iwokrama Rainforest (one of the world’s four remaining pristine tropical rainforests left in the world), the Amerindian village of Surama and the Rupununi Savannah, known for its giant anteaters and river otters; wildlifeworldwide.com
Naga
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
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Transmission: 8-speed auto
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F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
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More coverage from the Future Forum
Scoreline
Al Wasl 1 (Caio Canedo 90 1')
Al Ain 2 (Ismail Ahmed 3', Marcus Berg 50')
Red cards: Ismail Ahmed (Al Ain) 77'
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
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Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ain Issa camp:
- Established in 2016
- Houses 13,309 people, 2,092 families, 62 per cent children
- Of the adult population, 49 per cent men, 51 per cent women (not including foreigners annexe)
- Most from Deir Ezzor and Raqqa
- 950 foreigners linked to ISIS and their families
- NGO Blumont runs camp management for the UN
- One of the nine official (UN recognised) camps in the region
Company%20Profile
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The biog
Name: Abeer Al Shahi
Emirate: Sharjah – Khor Fakkan
Education: Master’s degree in special education, preparing for a PhD in philosophy.
Favourite activities: Bungee jumping
Favourite quote: “My people and I will not settle for anything less than first place” – Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The National photo project
Chris Whiteoak, a photographer at The National, spent months taking some of Jacqui Allan's props around the UAE, positioning them perfectly in front of some of the country's most recognisable landmarks. He placed a pirate on Kite Beach, in front of the Burj Al Arab, the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland at the Burj Khalifa, and brought one of Allan's snails (Freddie, which represents her grandfather) to the Dubai Frame. In Abu Dhabi, a dinosaur went to Al Ain's Jebel Hafeet. And a flamingo was taken all the way to the Hatta Mountains. This special project suitably brings to life the quirky nature of Allan's prop shop (and Allan herself!).
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england euro squad
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Man Utd), Sam Johnstone (West Brom), Jordan Pickford (Everton)
Defenders: John Stones (Man City), Luke Shaw (Man Utd), Harry Maguire (Man Utd), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Kyle Walker (Man City), Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa), Reece James (Chelsea), Conor Coady (Wolves), Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Kieran Trippier (Atletico Madrid)
Midfielders: Mason Mount (Chelsea), Declan Rice (West Ham), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Kalvin Phillips (Leeds)
Forwards: Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus Rashford (Man Utd), Raheem Sterling (Man City), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton), Phil Foden (Man City), Jack Grealish (Aston Villa), Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
Read more from Johann Chacko
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
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
The years Ramadan fell in May
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
