LONDON // South Africa will display bowling firepower reminiscent of the West Indies side of the 1980s at Lord's this week when they start their campaign to win a series in England for the first time in the post-apartheid era.
There is a steely confidence in the Proteas ranks before the teams meet today in the first of four Tests.
Graeme Smith, still only 27, is the most experienced captain in world cricket and he believes he is at last fielding a side comprising the best cricketers in multi-racial South Africa.
The batting combines the flair of AB de Villiers with the solidity of Hashim Amla batting around the supreme accumulator Jacques Kallis and backed up by wicketkeeper Mark Boucher.
But it is the pace attack of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Makhaya Ntini that excites South Africa and their supporters.
Their coach Mickey Arthur was asked on Tuesday to compare his attack to the raw pace of unremitting hostility and remorseless accuracy bowled by the masters of their craft that propelled West Indies to an era of unparalleled success in the 1980s.
He sounded an obligatory note of caution when he said: "They have got a long way to go to be there but these guys are hugely exciting. It really is going to be a treat to watch them bowl this summer.
"I said at the start of our summer in South Africa that in two years' time we would have number one and two in the world in Steyn and Morkel in the bowling rankings.
"I still believe in two years time we will have number one and two in the world that's how excited I am about these two."
Each of the three strike bowlers reach speeds in excess of 145km an hour, the difference between fast and seriously quick.
Steyn, the speediest of the trio, has had a phenomenal start to his Test career, capturing 120 wickets from 23 Tests at an average of 21.60 with a strike-rate of 35.8, the best by some distance for South Africans who have taken 100 wickets or more.
Morkel is tall, only marginally slower and extracts threatening bounce. Ntini, the veteran of the attack with 344 Test wickets, angles the ball awkwardly into the right-handers.
England are likely to field the same XI for the sixth Test in a row, although their batting has been inconsistent and middle-order batsmen Ian Bell and Paul Collingwood face the axe if they fail to deliver.
The bowlers have the shadow of Andrew Flintoff hovering in the background with the Lancashire all-rounder certain to be recalled once the selectors are satisfied he can last five days.
The England opener Andrew Strauss, who will be playing his 50th Test, told a news conference the fast bowling would be a challenge.
"More pace on the ball provides opportunities as well, if they bowl well it's going to be hard work, if they bowl slightly off line there may well be more opportunities to score," he said. "Both teams are using the series as a launch pad to be the number one side in the world and that's going to make it very competitive."
* Reuters
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
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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
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What is tokenisation?
Tokenisation refers to the issuance of a blockchain token, which represents a virtually tradable real, tangible asset. A tokenised asset is easily transferable, offers good liquidity, returns and is easily traded on the secondary markets.
