Mohamed Salah (Egypt) – Football
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At 32, Egypt’s favourite son Mohamed Salah is somehow still getting better. His numbers with Liverpool this season have shattered records, with the “Egyptian King” showing zero signs of slowing down.
Salah has been involved in 30 goals in just 18 Premier League games so far this campaign (17 goals, 13 assists). No one has ever reached 30 goal involvements in fewer appearances in a single Premier League season.
Also this term, he has both scored and assisted in eight different Premier League games. That’s more than any player has tallied in an entire Premier League campaign.
The Liverpool winger netted his 20th goal of the season against West Ham United on Sunday, to extend the Reds’ lead at the top of the table.
And 2025 will be an interesting year for Salah, who is chasing a second Premier League title with Liverpool, a contract renewal, a maiden Ballon d’Or, and a first Africa Cup of Nations crown with Egypt.
Omar Marmoush (Egypt) – Football
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If Salah’s numbers are the best among all players in the top five leagues, Omar Marmoush is not far behind.
The Eintracht Frankfurt forward has become arguably the hottest commodity in the Bundesliga this season, scoring 13 goals and providing seven assists in just 15 league games.
Overall, he has clocked up 18 goals and 12 assists in 24 appearances across competitions this campaign entering the New Year, and several clubs are in a race to sign him, with Arsenal rumoured to be on top of that list.
The 25-year-old striker has a big 2025 ahead of him, during which he will also be vying for silverware with Egypt at the Afcon.
Ahmed Jaouadi (Tunisia) – Swimming
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Oussama Mellouli, Ahmed Hafnaoui, and now Ahmed Jaouadi – Tunisia’s pipeline of gifted distance swimmers has produced yet another world champion.
Jaouadi, 19, gave an indication of what he is capable of at the Paris Olympics last summer when he placed ninth in the 400m freestyle heat, just missing out on a place in the final by a mere 0.39s.
He did even better in the longer distances.
Jaouadi made the final of the 800m free in Paris, missing the podium by just one spot, and also qualified for the final in the 1,500m free, placing sixth with a new personal best time of 14:43.35.
His 800m free and 1,500m free results at the Olympics rank him amongst the top 20 performers of all time in those events.
The Tunisian didn’t stop there. He finished his year by competing in the World Short Course Championships in Budapest in December, where he secured the gold medal in the 1,500m free with a massive new PB of 14:16.40 (lowering his previous mark by eight seconds).
He took bronze in the 800m free, shattering the African record in the process, and walking away from Worlds with two medals.
Jaouadi will be one to watch at the long-course World Aquatics Championships in Singapore this summer, where he will look to replicate his success from the 25m pool to the 50m one.
Hady Habib (Lebanon) – Tennis
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A few weeks ago, at a tournament in Chile, Hady Habib made history as the first Lebanese player to win a title on the ATP Challenger tour.
That triumph didn’t just earn him a historic trophy, it also helped him rocket up the rankings by over 100 spots to secure a place in the qualifying draw of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career.
The Texas-born Lebanese, who competed at the Paris Olympics and took on a red-hot Carlos Alcaraz in his singles opener there, is now all set to make his major debut at the Australian Open this month and says qualifying for a Grand Slam main draw is on top of his bucket list for 2025.
“I do set goals, I think it’s really important for me to have a plan, something me and my team have worked on. I think if you have a dream, that’s great, but if you don’t have a plan, you don’t have a way of getting there,” the 26-year-old recently told The National.
“For 2025, my goal is to compete in all the Grand Slams and another big goal of mine is to qualify for the main draw of a Slam. I think that would be another milestone and an incredible goal to achieve, that’s what’s next.”
Djamel Sedjati (Algeria) – Athletics
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In the build-up to the Paris Olympics, Djamel Sedjati ran the third and fourth-fastest 800m of all time, going 1:41.56 in the Diamond League stop in Paris, and then lowering his personal best to 1:41.46 five days later in Monaco.
He openly stated he had his sights set on breaking David Rudisha’s world record of 1:40.91 in the event, which has stood since 2012, and was in a fierce competition with Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Canada’s Marco Arop heading into the Olympics.
Sedjati ended up taking 800m bronze in at the Paris Games behind Wanyonyi and Arop, in what was the fastest Olympic final in history. The trio, along with France’s Gabriel Tual and USA’s Bryce Hoppel, have continued to push each other for the rest of the year.
With the athletics season set to hit its climax at the World Championships in Tokyo in September, it’s hard to imagine the 800m world record will remain untouched much longer. Will it be Sedjati who finally does it? The 25-year-old Algerian has certainly made a strong case for himself.
Mohammed Alakel (Saudi Arabia) – Boxing
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The next 12 months should reveal whether “Mighty” Mohammed Alakel has the talent to emerge as the home-grown champion the Saudis are searching for.
Since the kingdom became the home of big fights, we have seen a number of local fighters crop up on the undercards – including the 20-year-old lightweight Alakel.
The Riyadh native is currently 2-0 and has shown some promise in picking up those wins, including most recently over Joshua Ocampo on the undercard of December's Usyk v Fury 2 show.
He is coached by former Ring Magazine trainer of the year Joe Gallagher, who has been recruited to oversee the boxing programme at the Mike Tyson Gym in Riyadh.
Gallagher is working alongside several top British coaches – including former world light-middleweight title challenger Brian Rose – as Saudi Arabia looks to develop home-grown champions to grace the lavish cards they now regularly host in the winter months.
The key for Alakel is activity, and Gallagher will hope to have him out as often as possible in 2025. With the backing of Riyadh Season, he will have every chance to make a name for himself.
Eliesse Ben Seghir (Morocco) – Football
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Moroccan teenager Eliesse Ben Seghir is the latest exciting young talent to emerge from Monaco, a club whose academy has produced Thierry Henry and Kylian Mbappe.
Born in south-eastern France to Moroccan parents, Ben Seghir joined the Monaco Academy at 15, and signed his first professional contract two years later. He made his first-team debut at 17, scoring a brace on his first Ligue 1 outing.
He represented France at youth level but switched allegiance to Morocco and helped the U23 Atlas Lions secure bronze at the Paris Olympics last summer.
The 19-year-old winger has become a regular fixture in Morocco’s first team (has scored three goals in six appearances under coach Walid Regragui) and will be one to watch at the Africa Cup of Nations, which will be hosted by Morocco from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026.
He has contributed seven goals and four assists for Monaco across competitions so far this season and there is, understandably, lots of buzz around him in the transfer market.
Rashid Al Dhaheri (UAE) – Motorsport
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After another year behind the wheel, competing in Italian F4, Euro 4, and F4 UAE with Prema Racing, 16-year-old Emirati Rashid Al Dhaheri is now ready to take the next step in his young career by moving up to the Formula Regional European Championship in 2025.
Al Dhaheri claimed two race wins and five podiums to finish fourth in the F4 UAE Championship in 2024, and placed 10th and 11th respectively in the Italian F4 and Euro 4 Championships.
He also took two wins and four podiums with Mumbai Falcons Racing in the Formula Trophy UAE series.
“My focus has to be on my move up to Formula Regional, which will present new challenges and opportunities,” he recently told The National.
“It is great that I will continue with Prema Racing, the team I have been with from the day I moved from karting into single-seater racing, and we are all looking forward to Formula Regional.”
Nasser Al Attiyah (Qatar) – Motorsport
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Nasser Al Attiyah’s experience in the 2024 Dakar Rally was one to forget, and probably the worst of his career, but the five-time champion is now ready for a new adventure with Dacia Sandriders at this month’s edition of Dakar.
The reigning World Rally-Raid champion is a master of two sports, given he has also won an Olympic bronze medal in skeet shooting at London 2012.
With five victories, 11 podiums and 48 individual stage wins from 20 previous Dakar Rally appearances, Al Attiyah is one of the top contenders in Saudi Arabia this month.
The 54-year-old Qatari can also draw confidence from his triumph at the Rally Morocco at the end of the end of the 2024 season, which was his first competitive outing in the Dacia Sandrider.
“I think it is going to be one of the closest Dakars ever, because I have never seen four manufacturers who are so competitive and with such a chance of victory before,” predicts rally legend Carlos Sainz.
Will it be a sixth success for Al Attiyah?
Ramzi Boukhiam (Morocco) – Surfing
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After spending 10 years chasing a coveted qualification spot in the World Surf League’s Championship Tour, Ramzi Boukhiam finally made history and became the first Moroccan, North African, or Arab rider to make it to surfing’s highest tier of competition in 2024.
The Moroccan impressed in his debut season on the CT, finishing his campaign ranked 12th in the world, with a third place in Tahiti and a fifth in Portugal among his highlights for the year.
Boukhiam also made his second appearance at the Olympics in 2024, where he took part in one of the highest-scoring heats to ever occur at the Games.
The 31-year-old Moroccan will be back chasing waves among the world’s best in 2025, and will get to compete in the WSL’s first shortboard stop in the Arab world when the CT comes to Surf Abu Dhabi in February.
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Suggested picnic spots
Abu Dhabi
Umm Al Emarat Park
Yas Gateway Park
Delma Park
Al Bateen beach
Saadiyaat beach
The Corniche
Zayed Sports City
Dubai
Kite Beach
Zabeel Park
Al Nahda Pond Park
Mushrif Park
Safa Park
Al Mamzar Beach Park
Al Qudrah Lakes
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EHigh%20fever%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EIntense%20pain%20behind%20your%20eyes%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ESevere%20headache%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EMuscle%20and%20joint%20pains%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ENausea%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EVomiting%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ESwollen%20glands%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ERash%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIf%20symptoms%20occur%2C%20they%20usually%20last%20for%20two-seven%20days%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
Company%20profile
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The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
The%20specs
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hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
New process leads to panic among jobseekers
As a UAE-based travel agent who processes tourist visas from the Philippines, Jennifer Pacia Gado is fielding a lot of calls from concerned travellers just now. And they are all asking the same question.
“My clients are mostly Filipinos, and they [all want to know] about good conduct certificates,” says the 34-year-old Filipina, who has lived in the UAE for five years.
Ms Gado contacted the Philippines Embassy to get more information on the certificate so she can share it with her clients. She says many are worried about the process and associated costs – which could be as high as Dh500 to obtain and attest a good conduct certificate from the Philippines for jobseekers already living in the UAE.
“They are worried about this because when they arrive here without the NBI [National Bureau of Investigation] clearance, it is a hassle because it takes time,” she says.
“They need to go first to the embassy to apply for the application of the NBI clearance. After that they have go to the police station [in the UAE] for the fingerprints. And then they will apply for the special power of attorney so that someone can finish the process in the Philippines. So it is a long process and more expensive if you are doing it from here.”
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 1 Chelsea 0
De Bruyne (70')
Man of the Match: Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
Votes
Total votes: 1.8 million
Ashraf Ghani: 923,592 votes
Abdullah Abdullah: 720,841 votes
The%20stats%20and%20facts
%3Cp%3E1.9%20million%20women%20are%20at%20risk%20of%20developing%20cervical%20cancer%20in%20the%20UAE%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E80%25%20of%20people%2C%20females%20and%20males%2C%20will%20get%20human%20papillomavirus%20(HPV)%20once%20in%20their%20lifetime%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EOut%20of%20more%20than%20100%20types%20of%20HPV%2C%2014%20strains%20are%20cancer-causing%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E99.9%25%20of%20cervical%20cancers%20are%20caused%20by%20the%20virus%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EA%20five-year%20survival%20rate%20of%20close%20to%2096%25%20can%20be%20achieved%20with%20regular%20screenings%20for%20cervical%20cancer%20detection%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EWomen%20aged%2025%20to%2029%20should%20get%20a%20Pap%20smear%20every%20three%20years%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EWomen%20aged%2030%20to%2065%20should%20do%20a%20Pap%20smear%20and%20HPV%20test%20every%20five%20years%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EChildren%20aged%2013%20and%20above%20should%20get%20the%20HPV%20vaccine%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Kibsons%20Cares
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERecycling%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fstrong%3EAny%20time%20you%20receive%20a%20Kibsons%20order%2C%20you%20can%20return%20your%20cardboard%20box%20to%20the%20drivers.%20They%E2%80%99ll%20be%20happy%20to%20take%20it%20off%20your%20hands%20and%20ensure%20it%20gets%20reused%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EKind%20to%20health%20and%20planet%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ESolar%20%E2%80%93%2025-50%25%20of%20electricity%20saved%3Cbr%3EWater%20%E2%80%93%2075%25%20of%20water%20reused%3Cbr%3EBiofuel%20%E2%80%93%20Kibsons%20fleet%20to%20get%2020%25%20more%20mileage%20per%20litre%20with%20biofuel%20additives%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESustainable%20grocery%20shopping%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ENo%20antibiotics%3Cbr%3ENo%20added%20hormones%3Cbr%3ENo%20GMO%3Cbr%3ENo%20preservatives%3Cbr%3EMSG%20free%3Cbr%3E100%25%20natural%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)
Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports
Where to buy
Limited-edition art prints of The Sofa Series: Sultani can be acquired from Reem El Mutwalli at www.reemelmutwalli.com
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
World Cup final
Who: France v Croatia
When: Sunday, July 15, 7pm (UAE)
TV: Game will be shown live on BeIN Sports for viewers in the Mena region
Martin Sabbagh profile
Job: CEO JCDecaux Middle East
In the role: Since January 2015
Lives: In the UAE
Background: M&A, investment banking
Studied: Corporate finance
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
The biog
Hobbies: Salsa dancing “It's in my blood” and listening to music in different languages
Favourite place to travel to: “Thailand, as it's gorgeous, food is delicious, their massages are to die for!”
Favourite food: “I'm a vegetarian, so I can't get enough of salad.”
Favourite film: “I love watching documentaries, and am fascinated by nature, animals, human anatomy. I love watching to learn!”
Best spot in the UAE: “I fell in love with Fujairah and anywhere outside the big cities, where I can get some peace and get a break from the busy lifestyle”
Zayed Sustainability Prize
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
If you go
The flights
Emirates (www.emirates.com) and Etihad (www.etihad.com) both fly direct to Bengaluru, with return fares from Dh 1240. From Bengaluru airport, Coorg is a five-hour drive by car.
The hotels
The Tamara (www.thetamara.com) is located inside a working coffee plantation and offers individual villas with sprawling views of the hills (tariff from Dh1,300, including taxes and breakfast).
When to go
Coorg is an all-year destination, with the peak season for travel extending from the cooler months between October and March.
Dubai World Cup Carnival card
6.30pm: UAE 1000 Guineas Trial Conditions (TB) US$100,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (Turf) 1,000m
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (D) 1,900m
8.15pm: Meydan Challenge Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 1,400m
8.50pm: Dubai Stakes Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,200m
9.25pm: Dubai Racing Club Classic Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,410m
The National selections
6.30pm: Final Song
7.05pm: Pocket Dynamo
7.40pm: Dubai Icon
8.15pm: Dubai Legacy
8.50pm: Drafted
9.25pm: Lucius Tiberius
Brief scores:
Day 2
England: 277 & 19-0
West Indies: 154
