Bangladesh have struggled in Test cricket especially against more accomplished sides.
Bangladesh have struggled in Test cricket especially against more accomplished sides.

Get rid of lopsided matches



England start a two-Test series against Bangladesh later this afternoon. The last time the Tigers toured the British Isles, in 2005, they lost Tests at Lord's and Chester-le-Street before lunch on the third day. England, fresh off their success at the World Twenty20, have rested Stuart Broad and Paul Collingwood, and decided that now is the time to give Eoin Morgan free rein as a Test cricketer. The games will not be sold out, and whatever crowd they attract will pale into insignificance next to those for the "neutral" Tests in England later in the summer between Pakistan and Australia.

Pakistan will also play a one-day series against England at the same time the World T20 Champions League is being staged in South Africa. The clash of dates with the last fortnight of the county season means that no English teams will be able to take part in the tournament. The Professional Cricketers' Association have expressed their dismay at the development, and insisted the International Cricket Council should provide a window for the competition in future.

Last year's Champions League had no representatives from Pakistan, then the T20 champions, and this year's will feature only sides from India, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and West Indies. The exclusion of Rajshahi Rangers, the Bangladeshi T20 champions, is a reflection of how the country's stock has dwindled since the halcyon days of 2007 when they upset both India and South Africa in the 50-over World Cup.

Given the we-play-because-we-have-to approach which is the subtext for the Bangladesh tour of England, it is time to ask the game's administrators what gains accrue from such scheduling. The top players are more than happy to skip such tours, and with the TV companies that now grease the wheels of the international game only interested in a handful of iconic bilateral series, you can only wonder how long the Future Tours Programme will last.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Champions League already take up seven weeks in the calendar, and over-burdened players have already made it clear where their priorities lie. The die was cast back in July 2008 when MS Dhoni, the India captain, opted to skip the Tests in Sri Lanka after a hectic few months that had included six weeks of the first IPL. India lost 2-1, with Dinesh Karthik and Parthiv Patel responsible for wicketkeeping gaffes galore, and Dhoni was back to lead the one-day side to a comfortable series win. Only a handful of players are likely to pass up fat IPL contracts so that they can be well rested for international commitments. And why should they?

A hard-hitting editorial in the latest issue of Australia's Inside Sport said: "With its overflowing stadiums and hefty cheque-books, the IPL is globalising cricket along the franchise model that underpins all the other major team sports across the globe. "Cricket can't happily rest on its outmoded calendar of forgotten Tests and saturation pyjama tournaments. IPL is the future. And ignoring the tournament won't change this fact."

Sport has always attracted most attention when it promises an even contest, or when it appeals to tribal and parochial instincts (England against Australia, for example). Unless you are Ian Bell and you average 244 against Bangladesh, there is little to look forward to from an English point of view. Bangladesh have lost 57 of their 66 Tests, and even those sympathetic to their cause struggle to find an argument in favour of them continuing in the Test arena. In the shorter versions of the game, the gulf in class is more easily bridged. In Tests, the chasm is a yawning one.

You already have sports like basketball where an NBA title is worth far more than World Championship success. Footballers regularly skip friendly internationals so as not to offend their clubs. The Test matches at Lord's and Old Trafford will be an anachronism in more ways than one. Cricket needs to ponder other options if it is to stay afloat in the modern world. @Email:sports@thenational.ae

THE LIGHT

Director: Tom Tykwer

Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger

Rating: 3/5

ABU DHABI ORDER OF PLAY

Starting at 10am:

Daria Kasatkina v Qiang Wang

Veronika Kudermetova v Annet Kontaveit (10)

Maria Sakkari (9) v Anastasia Potapova

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova v Ons Jabeur (15)

Donna Vekic (16) v Bernarda Pera 

Ekaterina Alexandrova v Zarina Diyas

Ordinary Virtues: Moral Order in a Divided World by Michael Ignatieff
Harvard University Press

Which products are to be taxed?

To be taxed:

Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category

Not taxed

Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.

Products excluded from the ‘sweetened drink’ category would contain at least 75 per cent milk in a ready-to-drink form or as a milk substitute, baby formula, follow-up formula or baby food, beverages consumed for medicinal use and special dietary needs determined as per GCC Standardisation Organisation rules

Our legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Copa del Rey

Barcelona v Real Madrid
Semi-final, first leg
Wednesday (midnight UAE)

Our legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Analysis

Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more

RESULTS

6.30pm: Meydan Sprint Group 2 US$175,000 1,000m
Winner: Ertijaal, Jim Crowley (jockey), Ali Rashid Al Raihe (trainer)

7.05pm: Handicap $60,000 1,400m
Winner: Secret Ambition, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar

7.40pm: Handicap $160,000 1,400m
Winner: Raven’s Corner, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar

8.15pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes Group 3 $200,000 2,000m
Winner: Folkswood, William Buick, Charlie Appleby

8.50pm: Zabeel Mile Group 2 $250,000 1,600m
Winner: Janoobi, Jim Crowley, Mike de Kock

9.25pm: Handicap $125,000 1,600m
Winner: Capezzano, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer

The specs

The specs: 2019 Audi Q8
Price, base: Dh315,000
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 340hp @ 3,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 2,250rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
 

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net

Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.

Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.

A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.

Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.

The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.8-litre%204-cyl%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E190hp%20at%205%2C200rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20320Nm%20from%201%2C800-5%2C000rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeven-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%206.7L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh111%2C195%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

THE SPECS

Engine: Four-cylinder 2.5-litre

Transmission: Seven-speed auto

Power: 165hp

Torque: 241Nm

Price: Dh99,900 to Dh134,000

On sale: now

INDIA'S%20TOP%20INFLUENCERS
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RESULT

Manchester United 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1
Man United: Sanchez (24' ), Herrera (62')
Spurs: Alli (11')

MATCH INFO

First Test at Barbados
West Indies won by 381 runs

Second Test at Antigua
West Indies won by 10 wickets

Third Test at St Lucia
February 9-13