Waqar Younis is on the verge of accepting the challenge of reviving Pakistan cricket after being offered the position of coach.
The former fast bowler, who played 87 Tests and 262 one-day internationals for his country, is the Pakistan Cricket Board's top choice to replace Intikhab Alam, who was released early from a two-year contract after a dreadful run of results.
"I have received a proper offer from the Pakistan board and I am ready to take on this challenge," said Waqar.
"I see this job as a big challenge as Pakistan cricket has great talent and potential to deliver top results against all teams."
Meanwhile, Alastair Cook, the stand-in England captain, is looking forward to building his relationship with the team director, Andy Flower, during the side's tour of Bangladesh, which begins today with the first one-day international in Dhaka
Cook is leading his country on tour for the first time after the regular captain, Andrew Strauss, decided to opt out of the trip in a bid to avoid burn out.
Although Cook has a long-standing association with Flower, going back to their shared playing days at Essex, he is hoping to build a new understanding with the Zimbabwean. "I've known Andy since I was 18, I've grown up all my playing days with him and when I came into the England team he was assistant coach," said Cook.
"He's fantastic, a true thinker of the game and it's a pleasure to work with him. We're making strides on building that relationship as captain and coach."
Cook led the side to two convincing wins in warm-up matches in midweek but admits that there is still a big sense of occasion around his first ODI in charge of the team.
"The first international is a different thing," he said. "There's a bit more pressure riding on it."
Daniel Vettori, the New Zealand captain, is hoping for a better showing from his men against Australia in their second Twenty20 game in Christchurch today.
Australia won the first game in Wellington on Friday comfortably by six wickets, and Vettori said: "Getting through the first six overs none down, that would be fantastic. And if we can restrict them with the ball it's our best chance of winning."
The West Indies and Zimbabwe are also in action today as they play a Twenty20 game in Port of Spain, Trinidad
* With agencies
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
Remaining Fixtures
Wednesday: West Indies v Scotland
Thursday: UAE v Zimbabwe
Friday: Afghanistan v Ireland
Sunday: Final
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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