WORCESTER // Mitchell Johnson struck twice after lunch and England hopeful Ian Bell was dismissed after a slow-going 20 in the final warm-up game at New Road yesterday.
After declaring at lunch with a lead of 444 runs, the tourists made quick inroads into the Lions' top order with first innings centurion Stephen Moore and Joe Denly exiting to Johnson.
Moore was snapped up at second slip by Ricky Ponting for 16 and Denly was caught behind for 36 before Bell departed just before tea to leave England's second-string side 105 for three.
Bell was being watched first-hand by the England selectors and captain Andrew Strauss in Worcester.
But the Lions captain never got going in a careful 63-ball knock before being caught at short leg off the bowling of Nathan Hauritz. He made a first ball duck in the first innings.
Johnson was expensive, but his pace was back over 90mph and the left-armer also showed glimpses of the reverse swing which booked Brett Lee's berth in the Test line-up for Wednesday's opener at Cardiff.
Ponting turned to part-time spinner Marcus North ahead of the out-of-touch Hauritz, who is looking increasingly unlikely to make his debut next week.
But the specialist off-spinner eventually came on 15 minutes before the tea interval and struck in his third over.
Earlier, North - who had been doubtful about his place in the side prior to this following a series of low scores - marched his way to an unbeaten 191 in Australia's 438 for four declared.
Mike Hussey hit a run-a-ball 62 before the batsman retired hurt with a sore ankle. Hussey, who scored 150 in the first innings to dispel any suggestion his international powers were on the wane, returned to the field 10 minutes after lunch.
Australia's top seven have all posted half-centuries in their two warm-up matches.
* AFP
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
SPECS
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
MATCH INFO
Schalke 0
Werder Bremen 1 (Bittencourt 32')
Man of the match Leonardo Bittencourt (Werder Bremen)
TALE OF THE TAPE
Manny Pacquiao
Record: 59-6-2 (38 KOs)
Age: 38
Weight: 146lbs
Height: 166cm
Reach: 170cm
Jeff Horn
Record: 16-0-1 (11 KOs)
Age: 29
Weight: 146.2lbs
Height: 175cm
Reach: 173cm
Oscars in the UAE
The 90th Academy Awards will be aired in the UAE from 3.30am on Monday, March 5 on OSN, with the ceremony starting at 5am
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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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
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Bio:
Favourite Quote: Prophet Mohammad's quotes There is reward for kindness to every living thing and A good man treats women with honour
Favourite Hobby: Serving poor people
Favourite Book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite food: Fish and vegetables
Favourite place to visit: London
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
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