JOHANNESBURG // The imposing Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg is the setting for the final Test between South Africa and England.
Nicknamed the "Bullring", the steep stands of the stadium make for an intimidating atmosphere - the ideal finale for an enthralling series.
Yet it is Graeme Smith's Proteas who will have to be at the very top of the game if they are to level the series 1-1 and retain the Basil D'Oliveira Trophy in the process.
Smith is hoping his side can recapture the sort of form that yielded series wins in Australia and England in 2008.
"We haven't been able to reach the heights of 2008," admitted Smith. "It's the little things that matter in big series and we have not reproduced them in the last two. But if we play well over the next five days we will retain the trophy.
"In two out of three Tests we've come close and you have to give credit to England's resilience. When they've been put under pressure, they've handled it well. As a team we've had chats about reaching the next level but we've not quite reached it."
The pre-match talk once again surrounds the wicket and weather on a ground where there have been nine consecutive positive results.
The green pitch looks like giving the bowlers a massive advantage and combined with the indifferent weather forecasted, the ball looks set to swing early on. But Smith says the wicket looks no different to recent years.
"The Wanderers is a sporting wicket, even since when I grew up it's always been a great challenge between bat and ball," he said. "It offers everyone a bit of something and the next five days will be no different.
"It's going to be hard work at times for batters and hard work at times for bowlers. It will be a fair Test match wicket. When you come to the Wanderers, you know they'll always be a bit of pace and bounce and they will all play a part."
South Africa will hand a Test match debut to left-arm fast bowler Wayne Parnell, who replaces the injured Friedel de Wet.
"He has pace, experience of international cricket in the shorter form, and maybe his youthful exuberance will be something he can really bring to the party," commented Smith on the 20-year-old prospect who has already played nine one-day internationals and eight Twenty20 matches for the Proteas.
"He offers variety but it will be a big challenge for him. I don't think the expectation is that he will walk in and knock over seven wickets straight away but if he puts in a solid Test match and does well that's brilliant.
"He can add a lot to our attack if bowling well. He's a young character and it's about understanding him and backing him."
South Africa look to keep faith with out-of-form spinner Paul Harris, who has taken just four wickets in the last two Tests, and resist the temptation to bring in all-rounder Ryan McLaren.
"We have made a decision to play a spinner as much as possible but we will make a final decision based on conditions in the morning," he said.
England hope the inclusion of Parnell will create additional rough for Graeme Swann, the leading wicket-taker in the series, to extract turn out of.
"Graeme's contributed a huge amount for us and if South Africa play Parnell hopefully they'll be some rough for him as well," said England captain Andrew Strauss. "Leaving him out is not something we're contemplating, but our seam bowlers have done a job and I think they can get 20 wickets on their own anyway."
"This wicket may offer more for the bowlers and there's a lot of pressure on the batsmen to get over the new ball, get in and fight hard."
If South Africa are to successfully pull this series out of the fire, they will have to do the basics, according to Smith.
"Precision is always the key at the Wanderers," he added.
"You need to get the little things right and we need some key performances from certain individuals that are going to win this Test match. Holding your catches is important but a good positive mindset is crucial going into this Test match."
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South Africa v England, Day One, 12.30pm start, Showsports 2
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The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S
Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900
Engine: 937cc
Transmission: Six-speed gearbox
Power: 110hp @ 9,000rpm
Torque: 93Nm @ 6,500rpm
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The biog
Hobbies: Writing and running
Favourite sport: beach volleyball
Favourite holiday destinations: Turkey and Puerto Rico
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
Keane on …
Liverpool’s Uefa Champions League bid: “They’re great. With the attacking force they have, for me, they’re certainly one of the favourites. You look at the teams left in it - they’re capable of scoring against anybody at any given time. Defensively they’ve been good, so I don’t see any reason why they couldn’t go on and win it.”
Mohamed Salah’s debut campaign at Anfield: “Unbelievable. He’s been phenomenal. You can name the front three, but for him on a personal level, he’s been unreal. He’s been great to watch and hopefully he can continue now until the end of the season - which I’m sure he will, because he’s been in fine form. He’s been incredible this season.”
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s instant impact at former club LA Galaxy: “Brilliant. It’s been a great start for him and for the club. They were crying out for another big name there. They were lacking that, for the prestige of LA Galaxy. And now they have one of the finest stars. I hope they can go win something this year.”
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Test series fixtures
(All matches start at 2pm UAE)
1st Test Lord's, London from Thursday to Monday
2nd Test Nottingham from July 14-18
3rd Test The Oval, London from July 27-31
4th Test Manchester from August 4-8
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
In The Heights
Directed by: Jon M. Chu
Stars: Anthony Ramos, Lin-Manual Miranda
Rating: ****
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
'Falling%20for%20Christmas'
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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
MATCH INFO
First Test at Barbados
West Indies won by 381 runs
Second Test at Antigua
West Indies won by 10 wickets
Third Test at St Lucia
February 9-13
The%20specs
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
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.
Wenger's Arsenal reign in numbers
1,228 - games at the helm, ahead of Sunday's Premier League fixture against West Ham United.
704 - wins to date as Arsenal manager.
3 - Premier League title wins, the last during an unbeaten Invincibles campaign of 2003/04.
1,549 - goals scored in Premier League matches by Wenger's teams.
10 - major trophies won.
473 - Premier League victories.
7 - FA Cup triumphs, with three of those having come the last four seasons.
151 - Premier League losses.
21 - full seasons in charge.
49 - games unbeaten in the Premier League from May 2003 to October 2004.
