The decision by Australia to postpone their tour of South Africa has made the path to the World Test Championship final fairly clear.
The inaugural Test championship final is scheduled to be played at Lord's from June 18. According to the revised championship table which takes into consideration adjusted percentage points – to account for the cancellation of most cricket in 2020 – New Zealand are already through to the final as they can't go below their current second spot.
India are top of the standings with 71.7 (percentage of available points won) after their triumph in Australia while England are fourth on 68.7.
Australia are third on 69.2 and are almost certainly out of contention as both India and England have an extremely high chance of finishing in the top two.
So it will all boil down to the four-Test series between India and England which begins in Chennai on Friday.
Below are the scenarios revealed by the International Cricket Council where any one of India, England, and Australia can make it to the final at Lord's.
For India to qualify:
Virat Kohli's team need to win the series by the following margins: 2-0, 2-1, 3-0, 3-1, 4-0. No other series result would suffice for the Indians.
For England to qualify:
The visitors will need to crate one of the biggest upsets in modern history. Joe Root's team have to win the series 4-0, 3-0 or 3-1. Keep in mind India have lost a total of three Tests at home in the last 10 years; two against England in 2012 and one against Australia in 2017.
For Australia to qualify:
England must win the series by margins of 1-0, 2-0 or 2-1, India must 1-0, or the series should end in a draw.
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HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
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.
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Saturday (All UAE kick-off times)
Valencia v Atletico Madrid (midnight)
Mallorca v Alaves (4pm)
Barcelona v Getafe (7pm)
Villarreal v Levante (9.30pm)
Sunday
Granada v Real Volladolid (midnight)
Sevilla v Espanyol (3pm)
Leganes v Real Betis (5pm)
Eibar v Real Sociedad (7pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Osasuna (9.30pm)
Monday
Real Madrid v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
The five pillars of Islam
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
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