As Jasprit Bumrah and then Mohammed Siraj battled on with unprecedented determination into the final sessions of the third match between India and England at Lord's, tension reached levels which only Test cricket can dream of providing.
England had the match in the bag at the stroke of lunch when Ravindra Jadeja saw the last recognised batter – Nitish Kumar Reddy – edge one behind to the keeper.
At 112-8, the target of 193 was above and beyond India's reach. Their lower order, after all, had made a name for itself by folding in record quick time in recent times; the tourists had lost the first Test mainly because of disastrous collapses of 7-41 and 6-30.
But on Monday, the tail decided to fight. And fight with the collective strength of every tail-ender who does not know how to score or defend expertly, but is desperate to do so.
Bumrah blocked one end for 54 deliveries. Siraj – a proper number 11 – battled for 30. Jadeja at the other end took India closer one run per over at a time.
Then, Siraj defended a ball from injured spinner Shoaib Bashir almost perfectly. The ball went straight down, spun around his legs and brushed the stumps to dislodge the bails. England won the Lord's Test by 22 runs and took a 2-1 series lead.
While the final couple of sessions of the Lord's Test were a testament to the grit and determination of India's lower order, the series result so far is a reminder that Test cricket ultimately rewards those who don't falter on the fundamentals of the game.
England stick to the basics
India had already paid a huge price in the first Test by dropping close to 10 chances across both innings and collapsing with the bat twice.
In the second Test at Edgbaston, Shubman Gill's team barely put a foot wrong and outplayed England on all five days.
At Lord's, the margins were fine but England took the game away from India by reducing their own mistakes and capitalising on the visitor's errors.
In the first innings, KL Rahul dropped a straightforward chance from in-form keeper Jamie Smith when he had just come in. Smith went on to make a fifty and England posted a competitive 387.
Then when it was India's turn to bat, they looked well on their way to a 100-run lead when Rahul and wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant were at the crease.
With Rahul approaching a ton and Pant on 74, India were coasting at 248-3 by lunch on Day 3. Then, Pant went for a non-existent single to get Rahul on strike for his century and was run out.
India could only manage to match England's first innings score from there.
Compare that to the first day where Stokes batted out the overs until stumps, even as Joe Root remained on 99.
Then in England's second innings, the pitch started to act up as the ball bounced unpredictably.
Dhruv Jurel was keeping in place of the injured Pant and while he did not grass many chances, there were a staggering 25 byes on his watch. That was the third highest score in England's score of 192. India ultimately lost by 22 runs.
Sticking to basics worked for England brilliantly in the field and they took almost every chance that came their way.
Root held on to a stunning one-handed catch in the first innings to see the back of Karun Nair who was batting well on 40. It was a world record 211th Test take by Root, surpassing India great Rahul Dravid who took 210 catches between 1996 and 2012.
In the second innings, Jofra Archer took an acrobatic return catch off Washington Sundar. Both were difficult chances and had either not stuck, India could have won the Test.
Home keeper Smith did not allow a single bye, compared to India's 25, on the final day even though Archer and Brydon Carse were operating around 90mph almost the entire day on an up and down pitch.
Coach Brendon McCullum and Stokes have found a simple yet effective formula of succeeding this series – don't commit basic errors. That means not losing hope even if the other team is 248-3 or 430-3, as was the case in the first Test.
It has been the ultimate game of 'who blinks first' and England have won it two times out of three.
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More coverage from the Future Forum
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The studios taking part (so far)
- Punch
- Vogue Fitness
- Sweat
- Bodytree Studio
- The Hot House
- The Room
- Inspire Sports (Ladies Only)
- Cryo
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
The specs: 2019 Audi A7 Sportback
Price, base: Dh315,000
Engine: 3.0-litre V6
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 335hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 1,370rpm
Fuel economy 5.9L / 100km
THE DETAILS
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Director: Ron Howard
2/5
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
The biog
Favourite colour: Brown
Favourite Movie: Resident Evil
Hobbies: Painting, Cooking, Imitating Voices
Favourite food: Pizza
Trivia: Was the voice of three characters in the Emirati animation, Shaabiyat Al Cartoon
How to improve Arabic reading in early years
One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient
The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers
Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades
Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic
First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations
Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades
Improve the appearance of textbooks
Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings
Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught
Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Fatherland
Kele Okereke
(BMG)
Nancy 9 (Hassa Beek)
Nancy Ajram
(In2Musica)
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