LONDON // Andrew Strauss has been playing at Lord's for Middlesex for more a decade so if anyone was destined to plot a victory over Australia and break England's 75-year-duck it was the studious left-hander.
Strauss marshalled his side brilliantly during the five days of the second Test match, finding time to also score a measured 161 in the first innings, to navigate England to their first Lord's triumph over Australia since Hedley Verity claimed 15 wickets in the match in 1934 with his left-arm spin.
"It's a really special victory for those 11 guys," said Strauss. "To win an Ashes Test match at Lord's is something many guys have dreamed of doing over the last 50 or 60 years or so and to be the guys who pulled it off is pretty special."
Andrew Flintoff pipped Strauss to the match-of-the-match award and said: "To get five wickets is special but to win a Lord's Test makes it extra special.
"It was a massive team effort. To go one up in series was the big one. I'll enjoy this moment, however there are three Tests to go. We can't sit back, we must keep improving and getting better."
Graeme Swann has certainly flourished since his recall to the England side, and he is the leading Test wicket-taker in the world in 2009 with 30 scalps.
He was delighted to remove the dangerous Michael Clarke, who is such a fine player of spin bowling, yesterday with his second ball of the morning.
"It was a surprise more than anything," said the Nottinghamshire twirler.
"He held them together I think, so to get him out was probably the key wicket. So I'll take all the glory," he added tongue-in-cheek.
"It's unbelievable. Everybody was a little bit nervous and apprehensive this morning but getting the wicket of Haddin calmed everyone down."
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
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
'Nope'
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
Traits of Chinese zodiac animals
Tiger:independent, successful, volatile
Rat:witty, creative, charming
Ox:diligent, perseverent, conservative
Rabbit:gracious, considerate, sensitive
Dragon:prosperous, brave, rash
Snake:calm, thoughtful, stubborn
Horse:faithful, energetic, carefree
Sheep:easy-going, peacemaker, curious
Monkey:family-orientated, clever, playful
Rooster:honest, confident, pompous
Dog:loyal, kind, perfectionist
Boar:loving, tolerant, indulgent
The years Ramadan fell in May
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 258hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,000rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.1L/100km
Price: from Dh362,500
On sale: now