LONDON // Sri Lanka's captain, Kumar Sangakkara, makes a point of treating the twin imposters of triumph and despair with equanimity.
That is easier said than done, especially given the way in which his side - who had blazed an undefeated trail to a final in which they started as strong favourites - lost, not to mention the outside influences on his players.
Much has been made of the fact Pakistan's success at the World Twenty20 was a gift to their troubled people, to deliver them away from "bombs and death" for a while, at least.
But the external factors weighing on Sri Lanka's players were no less serious. Every one of their matches was attended by a phalanx of protesters, appealing for international attention to the Tamil cause.
As Pakistan's supporters revelled in their final glory, turning the Wellington and St John's Wood roads into scenes more reminiscent of Karachi or Lahore, the Sri Lankan protesters ploughed on.
The Grace Gates were locked shut as they positioned themselves opposite, shouting slogans and waving banners. A balloon, which was even visible from inside the ground during the play, above the Tavern Stand, carried the message: "Don't support genocide. Boycott Sri Lankan cricket."
Sangakkara was unable to give his people the "gift" his counterpart, Younus Khan, had so proudly lavished on his compatriots.
"It is heartbreaking when you lose in the final, but Pakistan outplayed us," said Sangakkara, who did all he could in the final, repairing early damage with a neat half-century. "We have had a great tournament, unfortunately we couldn't get it right with our batting.
"It was always tough for our bowling unit to keep defending totals right throughout the tournament when we probably could have scored 20 runs more.
"Hopefully we can get stronger, get better, learn from what we've done and we've got a lot more cricket coming up. We'll look forward to more cricket to toughen us up mentally and physically."
Their troubles in the final were summed up by the blunting of the man who was supposed to be their main weapon, Ajantha Mendis.
Kamran Akmal, Pakistan's wicketkeeper-batsman played the first two deliveries from the mystery spinner as if he had little clue as to what was going on. He then slogged the next into the Tavern Stand, and the die was cast.
Mendis, whose mastery over every opponent has been total so far in his year-long international career eventually sent down four overs for no wicket, and the concession of 34 runs.
Seemingly for the first time since sending down a carom ball on the international stage, the smile had left his face. "They have seen a lot of Mendis over the last few months and they have learned, but he is still our star bowler. We back him 100 per cent against any side," added Sangakkara.
"He is used to winning matches for us, but unfortunately we didn't have enough runs on the board for him to have an impact."
pradley@thenational.ae
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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.
Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners
Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
Best Team: Atalanta
Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus)
Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan)
Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)
ACL Elite (West) - fixtures
Monday, Sept 30
Al Sadd v Esteghlal (8pm)
Persepolis v Pakhtakor (8pm)
Al Wasl v Al Ahli (8pm)
Al Nassr v Al Rayyan (10pm)
Tuesday, Oct 1
Al Hilal v Al Shorta (10pm)
Al Gharafa v Al Ain (10pm)
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
Draw:
Group A: Egypt, DR Congo, Uganda, Zimbabwe
Group B: Nigeria, Guinea, Madagascar, Burundi
Group C: Senegal, Algeria, Kenya, Tanzania
Group D: Morocco, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Namibia
Group E: Tunisia, Mali, Mauritania, Angola
Group F: Cameroon, Ghana, Benin, Guinea-Bissau
Afghanistan Premier League - at a glance
Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Fixtures:
Tue, Oct 16, 8pm: Kandahar Knights v Kabul Zwanan; Wed, Oct 17, 4pm: Balkh Legends v Nangarhar Leopards; 8pm: Kandahar Knights v Paktia Panthers; Thu, Oct 18, 4pm: Balkh Legends v Kandahar Knights; 8pm: Kabul Zwanan v Paktia Panthers; Fri, Oct 19, 8pm: First semi-final; Sat, Oct 20, 8pm: Second semi-final; Sun, Oct 21, 8pm: final
Table:
1. Balkh Legends 6 5 1 10
2. Paktia Panthers 6 4 2 8
3. Kabul Zwanan 6 3 3 6
4. Nagarhar Leopards 7 2 5 4
5. Kandahar Knights 5 1 4 2
