For years he was the nearly man of Indian cricket. Always testing, always bowling his heart out, always beating the bat and never quite taking the wickets.
"Ishant Sharma is unlucky", were generally the first words uttered whenever his name came up. No matter how hard he tried, the India pacer came nowhere close to the four/five wickets per Test mark that great fast bowlers operate in.
Analysis of his stats can seem underwhelming. After 99 Tests, the lanky quick has 302 scalps. Dale Steyn, Richard Hadlee and Curtly Ambrose played less than 100 Tests and had more than 400 wickets.
But Ishant's story is unique. His career can be neatly divided into two halves - pre- and-post 2014.
The Delhi pacer made his debut as a spirited 19 year old who had pace, height and could move the ball sharply. It seemed like India had unearthed a gem. But the gem had hidden flaws.
Ishant's wrist position, run up and pace, all began to fail him and he was soon consigned to mainly Test cricket, where his averages were scarcely believable.
In 2010, Ishant took 33 wickets at an average of 37.57 from 11 Tests. His numbers in 2012 were shocking, with Ishant's average ballooning up to 75.57 before coming down to 48.16 in six Tests in 2013.
Then began the turnaround from 2014. His averages for the next six years dropped off a cliff, which is good by the way - from 31.36 in eight Tests in 2014 to just 15.56 in six in 2019. His strike rate went from a staggering 138 balls per wicket in Tests in 2012 to 32 balls per wicket seven years later.
Ishant's reversal of fortunes can be attributed to three major changes that happened in Indian Test cricket.
In 2014, Virat Kohli took over the captaincy. That was the single most significant development in the fast bowling ecosystem as Kohli, like Clive Lloyd of the great West Indies teams of 1970s, put fast bowlers at the front and centre of his plans. He demanded pace and aggression. The quick men, including Ishant, responded.
Then there was Ishant's own evolution: he changed his bowling angles, smoothened his run up, and bulked up to take on greater workloads with improved efficiency. India bowling coach Bharat Arun also helped in getting his alignment right, which is now visible in a smooth delivery stride, consistent pace and prodigious swing.
And finally, every fast bowler needs a partner and Ishant got two world class operators – first Mohammed Shami and then Jasprit Bumrah.
In a 2019 interview to broadcaster Gaurav Kapoor on his YouTube show Breakfast with Champions, Ishant revealed Bumrah casually mocks him if his pace 'falls' to 130kph in a Test. It's the presence of, arguably, more potent pacers at the other end that has allowed Ishant to focus almost exclusively on his bowling and not worry about stopping runs.
It seems a shame that he had to spend the better part of a decade learning his craft while on international duty. And that is reflected in his overall numbers. But reaching the milestone of 100 Tests is a rare achievement in the modern game for a fast bowler. He will be just the 11th pacer in history to do so.
"I don't play for numbers, I play to win. How can I make the team win, how can I become an impactful player?" Ishant said ahead of the third Test against England in Ahmedabad which starts on Wednesday.
"How can I pull out the team from tough situations, that is the only motivation. If there is a partnership, how to break it, that is only my focus."
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The five pillars of Islam
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Anti-semitic attacks
The annual report by the Community Security Trust, which advises the Jewish community on security , warned on Thursday that anti-Semitic incidents in Britain had reached a record high.
It found there had been 2,255 anti-Semitic incidents reported in 2021, a rise of 34 per cent from the previous year.
The report detailed the convictions of a number of people for anti-Semitic crimes, including one man who was jailed for setting up a neo-Nazi group which had encouraged “the eradication of Jewish people” and another who had posted anti-Semitic homemade videos on social media.
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
'Ashkal'
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More on Quran memorisation:
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH DETAILS
Juventus 2 (Bonucci 36, Ronaldo 90 6)
Genoa 1 (Kouame 40)
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Results
5.30pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Al Battar, Mickael Barzalona (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer).
6.05pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,200m; Winner: Good Fighter, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
6.40pm: Handicap Dh185,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Way Of Wisdom, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
7.15pm: Handicap Dh170,000 (D) 2,200m; Winner: Immortalised, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
7.50pm: Handicap Dh185,000 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Franz Kafka, James Doyle, Simon Crisford.
8.25pm: Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Mayadeen, Connor Beasley, Doug Watson.
9pm: Handicap Dh185,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Chiefdom, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Biography
Her family: She has four sons, aged 29, 27, 25 and 24 and is a grandmother-of-nine
Favourite book: Flashes of Thought by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid
Favourite drink: Water
Her hobbies: Reading and volunteer work
Favourite music: Classical music
Her motto: I don't wait, I initiate
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Drivers’ championship standings after Singapore:
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - 263
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari - 235
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes - 212
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull - 162
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari - 138
6. Sergio Perez, Force India - 68
MO
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Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Film: In Syria
Dir: Philippe Van Leeuw
Starring: Hiam Abbass, Diamand Bo Abboud, Mohsen Abbas and Juliette Navis
Verdict: Four stars
