BIRMINGHAM // The knee may still cause unimaginable pain and the body may be failing, but Andrew Flintoff will not be denied.
Met with a crescendo of noise and an ovation of the highest order, England's talisman strode to the centre of the crease for perhaps the last time in a Test match at Edgbaston.
From there he illustrated just why he is held so dear after producing a mesmerising exhibition of attacking strokeplay.
With England 168 for five following the dismissal of Ian Bell for 53, Flintoff went on the front foot in a bid to heap yet more misery on the tourists. Against an average looking bowling unit Flintoff looked impregnable, bludgeoning 74 off 79 deliveries before being caught off his gloves at slip.
The soft manner of his dismissal, which prevented the 31-year-old Lancastrian from claiming his first Test hundred since the Ashes series of 2005, will have frustrated Flintoff greatly.
Although he remains a doubt for the fourth Test at Headingley on Friday, this performance will have come as great encouragement to coach Andy Flower.
Flintoff's running in between the wickets was often laboured with the all-rounder limping uncomfortably throughout his stay in the middle. England captain Andrew Strauss must now decide how often to bowl Flintoff on the final day given that the next contest begins in five days time.
With Kevin Pietersen ruled out of the series with an Achilles problem, Strauss can ill-afford to lose another world-class player going into the final two Tests of the series. The injury, however, has not detracted from Flintoff's ability to attack the bowler as he took Australia to task.
Aided by Matt Prior, the duo had gorged themselves on the bowling of Shane Watson, while Mitchell Johnson's frustrations increased as Flintoff continued to hit boundary after boundary.
The pair added 89 before Prior was dismissed off the bowling of Peter Siddle for 41 to bring an end to a partnership which had changed the entire dynamic of the contest. Australia looked rattled, Johnson in particular appeared to have allowed his frustration to spill over after enjoying some verbal jousting with Flintoff and then later Stuart Broad.
It was Broad's quickfire 55 which helped England finish with a lead of 113 as Australia were forced to endure a nervy final session against the new ball.
The morning had begun badly for England with Strauss adding just five to his overnight score of 62 before being caught behind by Graham Manou off the bowling of Hilfenhaus.
Collingwood followed just before lunch, wafting ludicrously at a Hilfenhaus delivery which sailed into the hands of Ponting.
Prior and Flintoff then put England in control before Broad hit nine fours on his way to his fourth Test match half-century to leave England in pole position.
Openers Simon Katich and Watson came out to face the tireless Flintoff and James Anderson with a nervy 32 overs of the day's play remaining. Australia will now hope to bat out the final day without too many scares and, with rain again forecast, England will find their chances of extending their series lead at a premium.
@Email:sports@thenational.ae
A%20QUIET%20PLACE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Lupita%20Nyong'o%2C%20Joseph%20Quinn%2C%20Djimon%20Hounsou%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMichael%20Sarnoski%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
The low down
Producers: Uniglobe Entertainment & Vision Films
Director: Namrata Singh Gujral
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Nargis Fakhri, Bo Derek, Candy Clark
Rating: 2/5
Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Mina Cup winners
Under 12 – Minerva Academy
Under 14 – Unam Pumas
Under 16 – Fursan Hispania
Under 18 – Madenat
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
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
On sale: now