India maintained their impeccable World Cup record against arch rivals Pakistan after Virat Kohli's fluent 36 not out powered them to a seven-wicket victory on Friday in a Group 2 Super 10 stage match of the World Twenty20.
Put into bat, Pakistan did not get the flying start they hoped for and could not mount a late assault either against India’s disciplined bowlers, who restricted them to 130 for seven at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.
India made a strong, if not spectacular, start to their chase, with their openers adding 54 runs in eight overs before Shikhar Dhawan (30) fell to Umar Gul to trigger a mini-collapse.
Rohit Sharma (24) dragged a Saeed Ajmal delivery on to his stumps while Bilawal Bhatti rearranged Yuvraj Singh’s stumps as India slumped to 65 for three in the 11th over.
Kohli displayed the kind of form that has made him the mainstay of Indian batting, playing with characteristic ease and grace to add 66 runs with Suresh Raina (35 not out) to win the match with nine balls to spare.
The victory prolonged India's unbeaten record against Pakistan in Twenty20 and 50-over World Cups but Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez denied that there was a psychological barrier.
“You may say whatever you want but we don’t think like ‘this is World Cup and we’ve never beaten them in World Cup events’,” he said. “We go into a match positive. Unfortunately, we could not snap that streak but we’ll try our level best next time.”
Kamran Akmal warmed up with a couple of boundaries for Pakistan before running himself out in the second over after a comical mix-up with Ahmed Shehzad.
Shehzad featured in more confusion with the next delivery but was fortunate as Dhoni’s direct throw missed the stumps as the batsman hurried back, abandoning his pursuit for a non-existent single.
Hafeez also had his share of luck as Yuvraj, usually a safe catcher, dropped him at deep midwicket off Mohammed Shami when the Pakistan captain was on five.
Hafeez (15) could not make the most of the reprieve and fell to Ravindra Jadeja’s third delivery after Bhuvneshwar Kumar ran from deep cover to take a low, diving catch.
Shehzad (22) joined him in the pavilion in the next over, having charged out only to be completely foxed by leg-spinner Amit Mishra’s prodigious turn.
Umar Akmal (33) added 50 runs with Shoaib Malik (18) but fell to Mishra when he looked set for a late assault to push the score.
“Spin and flight are my strengths and MS [Dhoni] backed me to bowl without pressure,” said Mishra, who has been in and out of the Indian team.
“It’s difficult when you sit out matches after matches but I always think positive and tried to improve.”
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre V6
Power: 295hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 355Nm at 5,200rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km
Price: Dh179,999-plus
On sale: now
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Company Profile
Name: JustClean
Based: Kuwait with offices in other GCC countries
Launch year: 2016
Number of employees: 130
Sector: online laundry service
Funding: $12.9m from Kuwait-based Faith Capital Holding
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
The biog
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
