Sri Lanka v England
First Test, at Galle
England won by 211
Second Test, at Kandy
England won by 57 runs
Third Test, at Colombo
From Nov 23-27
Burns sizzles as openers stake their claim
The arrival of Rory Burns at the top of England's innings could not have come at a better time. Year after year, England struggled to find a reliable opening partner for the relentless run machine Alastair Cook, as the great and the not so good of the County Championship tried and failed to make the step up to Test level. And when Cook finally called time on his career in the summer, alarm bells were ringing.
Burns, though, had earned his chance, scoring consistently – 1,359 at an average of 64.71 – as he captained Surrey to the Division One title last season.
The 28 year old may not have reached triple figures in Pallekele, but his calm and assured knocks of 43 and 59 in England's 57-run win were vital as the tourists sealed the three-match series. His captain Joe Root described Burns as "almost unflappable".
With opening partner Keaton Jennings having ended his miserable run drought with an unbeaten 146 in the first Test, England may have finally solved their long-term opening issues.
Stokes and Jennings provide fielding masterclass
Neither Jennings nor Ben Stokes contributed anything with the bat in the second Test, but boy did they prove their worth in the field.
In Sri Lanka's first innings, it was Stokes who produced game-changing moments at vital times.
The home side were looking good at 126-2 on Day 2 in reply to England's 290 when the all-rounder brilliantly ran out Dimuth Karunaratne for 63, with the Sri Lankan looking well set for a big score.
Just a few overs later, Stokes was at it again, this time with a stunning one-handed catch to bag Kusal Mendis at slip.
It was Jennings' turn to don the Superman fielding cape in the second innings with two moments of sheer brilliance – first a one-handed catch at short leg to remove Dhananjaya de Silva followed by a remarkable parry up in the air for wicketkeeper Ben Foakes to snaffle, with Karunaratne again the victim of brilliant England fielding.
Jennings insisted afterwards England's heroics in the field was "no fluke" crediting assistant coach – and former England all-rounder – Paul Collingwood for making a "big impact" on the team.
English trio prove kings of spin at home of Muralitharan
It would be rude not to mention England's spin trio after their efforts on the dusty Sri Lankan tracks.
Jack Leach, Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid took 19 of the 20 wickets in Pallekele, with the former claiming eight in the match – including 5-43 in the second innings – in only his second Test.
Moeen is now the series' joint-leading wicket taker with 14 and Rashid, while still guilty of throwing down far too many pies and giving away easy runs, has still produced the odd unplayable snorter to justify his selection.
Few will ever get close to matching the exploits or the skills of local hero Muttiah Muralitharan, but the three English spinners have just made their own little marks on Murali’s home turf.
Mathews proves the one bright spark for hosts
It has been a turbulent time in the career of Sri Lankan batsman Angelo Mathews. He stepped down as captain in all three formats last year – following an ODI series defeat to Zimbabwe – but was coaxed back to lead the ODI team … only to be axed following the team's poor show in this year's Asia Cup in the UAE.
Furious at being made a "scapegoat" for their early exit, Mathews flirted with retirement before he was dropped ahead of the recent ODI series with England with selectors questioning his attitude and fitness.
But Mathews has reacted in impressive fashion with three half centuries in this Test series while the rest of his teammates have failed miserably with the bat. He looked set for a match-winning century with the second Test in the balance before Moeen had him trapped lbw. It would have been an emphatic point well made for a player who has put through the wringer by those in charge of the national side. "My stats will speak on behalf of me," Mathews said.
Tide turns as Root grows into captain's role
The pressure was well and truly on Root going into this series. Without an away win as captain and struggling for runs after a disastrous tour of Australia and New Zealand, where England lost five out of seven Tests, Sri Lanka looked a tough destination to restore confidence. But restore confidence he has and England have won all of the key moments over the two Tests.
Root's magnificent 124 on Day 3 in Pallekele, with the match firmly in the balance, tipped the match in England's favour. The Yorkshireman said afterwards that his 15th Test century was one of his finest and put England on their way to their first series win in Sri Lanka since 2001.
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Read more:
Joe Root targets No 1 Test ranking after England win series in Sri Lanka
Next month's UAE T20x cancelled by Emirates Cricket Board
Moeen Ali and Jack Leach spin England to first Test victory in Galle
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Second Test
In Dubai
Pakistan 418-5 (declared)
New Zealand 90 and 131-2 (follow on)
Day 3: New Zealand trail by 197 runs with 8 wickets remaining
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RESULTS
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Power: 819hp
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INFO
Everton 0
Arsenal 0
Man of the Match: Djibril Sidibe (Everton)
One-off T20 International: UAE v Australia
When: Monday, October 22, 2pm start
Where: Abu Dhabi Cricket, Oval 1
Tickets: Admission is free
Australia squad: Aaron Finch (captain), Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Darcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa, Peter Siddle
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Karnataka Tuskers 110-5 (10 ovs)
Tharanga 48, Shafiq 34, Rampaul 2-16
Delhi Bulls 91-8 (10 ovs)
Mathews 31, Rimmington 3-28
Karnataka Tuskers win by 19 runs
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
More coverage from the Future Forum
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
The Year Earth Changed
Directed by:Tom Beard
Narrated by: Sir David Attenborough
Stars: 4
If you go
The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Luang Prabang via Bangkok, with a return flight from Chiang Rai via Bangkok for about Dh3,000, including taxes. Emirates and Thai Airways cover the same route, also via Bangkok in both directions, from about Dh2,700.
The cruise
The Gypsy by Mekong Kingdoms has two cruising options: a three-night, four-day trip upstream cruise or a two-night, three-day downstream journey, from US$5,940 (Dh21,814), including meals, selected drinks, excursions and transfers.
The hotels
Accommodation is available in Luang Prabang at the Avani, from $290 (Dh1,065) per night, and at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort from $1,080 (Dh3,967) per night, including meals, an activity and transfers.
Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes.
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Results
2pm: Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (Dirt) 1,200m, Winner: Mouheeb, Tom Marquand (jockey), Nicholas Bachalard (trainer)
2.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Honourable Justice, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
3pm: Handicap (TB) Dh84,000 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Dahawi, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
3.30pm: Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Dark Silver, Fernando Jara, Ahmad bin Harmash
4pm: Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Dark Of Night. Antonio Fresu, Al Muhairi.
4.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Habah, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
Brief scores:
Day 1
Toss: India, chose to bat
India (1st innings): 215-2 (89 ov)
Agarwal 76, Pujara 68 not out; Cummins 2-40
Sri Lanka v England
First Test, at Galle
England won by 211
Second Test, at Kandy
England won by 57 runs
Third Test, at Colombo
From Nov 23-27
