England are closing in an innings victory in the third Test against South Africa as their pacemen sent stumps flying and Joe Root played an unlikely starring role with the ball.
The tourists began Day 4 in Port Elizabeth with a blitz of four wickets for just one run as they skittled the Proteas for 209.
Root then took his best figures in Tesdt cricket – 4-31 – as South Africa slumped to 102-6 after being forced to follow on.
With a lead of 188, only further rain can realistically prevent England taking a 2-1 series lead to Johannesburg, with a three-hour delay preventing them from wrapping things up well ahead of time.
They needed only 28 balls to dismiss South Africa's last four batsmen at the start of play, with Stuart Broad picking up three of the wickets without conceding a run.
Bowler Mark Wood called it a "good day" for the tourists. "We put in some tough work, and Broady and Sam started brilliantly," he said. "Our attitude has been good today, and we got our rewards."
Rain early in South Africa's second innings threatened to thwart England's push for victory. But the tourists made the best of every moment they had either side of that downpour, with seamers Broad, Sam Curran and Wood all toppling the timbers to hammer home the scoreboard pressure created by their first-innings 499.
Then it was over to Root, who in 90 previous Tests had never taken more than two wickets in an innings.
Bowling from the end where fellow off-spinner Dom Bess took five wickets in the first innings, he trapped Pieter Malan leg before wicket in the last over before tea.
Root took three more wickets after the interval. Rassie van der Dussen was superbly caught at short leg by Ollie Pope and first innings top-scorer Quinton de Kock fell to a leaping catch at backward point by a leaping Wood.
South Africa captain Faf du Plessis was sixth out after making 36, his highest score of what has been a poor series for him. He was another bat-pad victim, giving Pope his fifth catch of the match.
The pressure is now growing on Du Plessis whose position must be under threat. When asked about his captain's future, South Africa coach Mark Boucher said: "That's not a call to make a this moment in time. He's trying really hard; he's working really hard away from the game. If he's not scoring runs there's that extra pressure. The best way to answer that is putting runs on the board.
"There's no hiding place in Test cricket. He's disappointed from a team perspective. He spent a bit of time in the middle, which is good for his confidence.
"[Overall] I'm disappointed. We didn't have a good day today at all. No excuses. We've got to man up and learn lessons. We were outskilled."
SPECS
Mini John Cooper Works Clubman and Mini John Cooper Works Countryman
Engine: two-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 306hp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: JCW Clubman, Dh220,500; JCW Countryman, Dh225,500
Sheikh Zayed's poem
When it is unveiled at Abu Dhabi Art, the Standing Tall exhibition will appear as an interplay of poetry and art. The 100 scarves are 100 fragments surrounding five, figurative, female sculptures, and both sculptures and scarves are hand-embroidered by a group of refugee women artisans, who used the Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery art of tatreez. Fragments of Sheikh Zayed’s poem Your Love is Ruling My Heart, written in Arabic as a love poem to his nation, are embroidered onto both the sculptures and the scarves. Here is the English translation.
Your love is ruling over my heart
Your love is ruling over my heart, even a mountain can’t bear all of it
Woe for my heart of such a love, if it befell it and made it its home
You came on me like a gleaming sun, you are the cure for my soul of its sickness
Be lenient on me, oh tender one, and have mercy on who because of you is in ruins
You are like the Ajeed Al-reem [leader of the gazelle herd] for my country, the source of all of its knowledge
You waddle even when you stand still, with feet white like the blooming of the dates of the palm
Oh, who wishes to deprive me of sleep, the night has ended and I still have not seen you
You are the cure for my sickness and my support, you dried my throat up let me go and damp it
Help me, oh children of mine, for in his love my life will pass me by.
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
The biog
Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia
Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins
Favourite dish: Grilled fish
Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.
The specs
Engine: 4 liquid-cooled permanent magnet synchronous electric motors placed at each wheel
Battery: Rimac 120kWh Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) chemistry
Power: 1877bhp
Torque: 2300Nm
Price: Dh7,500,00
On sale: Now
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Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
The specs: 2018 BMW R nineT Scrambler
Price, base / as tested Dh57,000
Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm
Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.3L / 100km
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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