LONDON // Pakistan took the one-day series against England to a deciding fifth match after winning by 38 runs yesterday, on a day relations between the two teams threatened to boil over following fresh corruption claims.
Having set England 266 to win the fourth one-dayer and take an unassailable lead in the series, Pakistan bowled the home side out for 227 in 46.1 overs at Lord's to level it at 2-2.
Pakistan paceman Umar Gul had the best bowling figures of 4-32, while England captain Andrew Strauss top-scored with 68.
The match had gone ahead despite England's outrage at the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt's accusation that England players threw Friday's match at The Oval, which Pakistan won by 23 runs to keep the series alive.
Mr Butt's allegations came after an investigation was opened by the ICC following claims the scoring in Pakistan's innings on Friday was prearranged.
The last match is at the Rose Bowl in Southampton on Wednesday.
A succession of fixing scandals have overshadowed the last two months of Pakistan's ill-fated tour and they look set to continue.
The deterioration of relations between the two teams sank to new depths before the start of play when Butt's allegations, made on Sunday and repeated Monday, were dismissed by the England and Wales Cricket Board as "wholly irresponsible and completely without foundation".
Strauss said his players was upset their integrity had been questioned, adding they and the ECB were considering legal action and that there were mixed feelings about playing Monday but the team felt it had a responsibility to do so.
Abdul Razzaq's entertaining end-of-innings flourish, during which he bludgeoned eight fours and a six to score 44 off 20 balls, gave Pakistan a challenging total of 265-7 to defend.
England, which recalled fit-again batsmen Paul Collingwood and Ian Bell in the only two changes, got off to a flyer in its reply thanks to a 113-run opening partnership between Strauss and Steven Davies (49).
The stand, which came off 123 balls, ended when Davies chopped a delivery from Saeed Ajmal onto his own stumps and Jonathan Trott followed him after playing on off Shahid Afridi for 4.
Wahab Riaz, who has also been questioned by police about fixing allegations but whom wasn't selected in Pakistan's team, and Trott had been involved in a confrontation in the nets before play started. They were both spoken to by match referee Jeff Crowe.
The jitters really set in when Strauss, who struck eight fours in a battling knock, slashed a wide ball from Shoaib Akhtar straight to Fawad Alam at point in the next over.
With Afridi looking menacing and Akhtar steaming in under the floodlights, Pakistan were in the ascendancy. And when Gul bowled Collingwood for 4 and Bell drove straight at Azhar Ali for 27, England were on the ropes having lost four wickets for 36 runs and with the required run rate up to 7.75 an over.
England still had hope with limited-overs specialist Eoin Morgan at the crease but he was running out of partners, Michael Yardy becoming the third England batsman to play onto his own stumps, out for 9.
When Morgan departed for 28, the game was up for the hosts as the tail surrendered.
Earlier, Graeme Swann helped England stem the tide after a strong start from Pakistan but Razzaq's late blitz had given the tourists a slight edge.
Pakistan's first wicket fell on 62 when Kamran Akmal hooked Stuart Broad to Strauss on 28. Swann then entered the scene to slow the run rate and take the next four wickets.
The offspinner, who on Monday made the shortlist for the ICC Cricketer of the Year award, bowled Asad Shafiq for 11 with his fifth ball and then had Mohammad Yousuf on 3 caught behind in his next over to leave the score at 94-3.
A rash heave by Hafeez, frustrated at England slowing Pakistan's run rate, was caught from a top-edge off Swann to end a 100-ball knock that included five fours and a six.
Swann bowled Alam for 29 in his last over but Pakistan prospered in the spinner's absence - Afridi hitting 37 off 22 balls and Razzaq coming to the fore in the final 12 overs.
Razzaq's cameo featured five successive fours off Bresnan to finish the innings.
* AP
Fighter profiles
Gabrieli Pessanha (Brazil)
Reigning Abu Dhabi World Pro champion in the 95kg division, virtually unbeatable in her weight class. Known for her pressure game but also dangerous with her back on the mat.
Nathiely de Jesus, 23, (Brazil)
Two-time World Pro champion renowned for her aggressive game. She is tall and most feared by her opponents for both her triangles and arm-bar attacks.
Thamara Ferreira, 24, (Brazil)
Since her brown belt days, Ferreira has been dominating the 70kg, in both the World Pro and the Grand Slams. With a very aggressive game.
Samantha Cook, 32, (Britain)
One of the biggest talents coming out of Europe in recent times. She is known for a highly technical game and bringing her A game to the table as always.
Kendall Reusing, 22, (USA)
Another young gun ready to explode in the big leagues. The Californian resident is a powerhouse in the -95kg division. Her duels with Pessanha have been highlights in the Grand Slams.
Martina Gramenius, 32, (Sweden)
Already a two-time Grand Slam champion in the current season. Gramenius won golds in the 70kg, in both in Moscow and Tokyo, to earn a spot in the inaugural Queen of Mats.
Naga
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EMeshal%20Al%20Jaser%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EAdwa%20Bader%2C%20Yazeed%20Almajyul%2C%20Khalid%20Bin%20Shaddad%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
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
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Hotel Silence
Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
Pushkin Press
MEYDAN CARD
6.30pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 Group One (PA) US$65,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.05pm Handicap (TB) $175,000 (Turf) 1,200m
7.40pm UAE 2000 Guineas Trial Conditions (TB) $100,000 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm Singspiel Stakes Group Two (TB) $250,000 (T) 1,800m
8.50pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,600m
9.25pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 Group Two (TB) $350,000 (D) 1,600m
10pm Dubai Trophy Conditions (TB) $100,000 (T) 1,200m
10.35pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,600m
The National selections:
6.30pm AF Alwajel
7.05pm Ekhtiyaar
7.40pm First View
8.15pm Benbatl
8.50pm Zakouski
9.25pm: Kimbear
10pm: Chasing Dreams
10.35pm: Good Fortune
Tips for taking the metro
- set out well ahead of time
- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines
- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on
- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Building boom turning to bust as Turkey's economy slows
Deep in a provincial region of northwestern Turkey, it looks like a mirage - hundreds of luxury houses built in neat rows, their pointed towers somewhere between French chateau and Disney castle.
Meant to provide luxurious accommodations for foreign buyers, the houses are however standing empty in what is anything but a fairytale for their investors.
The ambitious development has been hit by regional turmoil as well as the slump in the Turkish construction industry - a key sector - as the country's economy heads towards what could be a hard landing in an intensifying downturn.
After a long period of solid growth, Turkey's economy contracted 1.1 per cent in the third quarter, and many economists expect it will enter into recession this year.
The country has been hit by high inflation and a currency crisis in August. The lira lost 28 per cent of its value against the dollar in 2018 and markets are still unconvinced by the readiness of the government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to tackle underlying economic issues.
The villas close to the town centre of Mudurnu in the Bolu region are intended to resemble European architecture and are part of the Sarot Group's Burj Al Babas project.
But the development of 732 villas and a shopping centre - which began in 2014 - is now in limbo as Sarot Group has sought bankruptcy protection.
It is one of hundreds of Turkish companies that have done so as they seek cover from creditors and to restructure their debts.