DUBAI // There was a time when the spectacle of Shoaib Akhtar facing off against Brett Lee would have been a box-office hit in itself. Never mind the side issue of an intriguing series between the world champions, Australia, and the crowd-favourites, Pakistan.
The 2003 ICC World Cup in South Africa, when both players reached their maximum velocity, was illuminated by their race to see who could break the 100mph mark first.
How times have changed. When the duo arrive in the UAE later this month for their duel in the desert, it will be less a case of discerning who is fastest and more about settling which of these goods has been damaged least.
Shoaib, 33, has been beset by disciplinary as well as fitness problems in the recent past. He has recovered from the knee injury which ruled him out of the Pakistan squad for their aborted tour of Bangladesh in time to tour the UAE for the first time since the 2002 Sharjah Cup.
Lee, meanwhile, has persuaded Australia's selectors he is fit to travel to the Emirates, following a remarkably swift recovery from an ankle and foot operation in January.
The initial plan was to test him in the physically forgiving climate of the Indian Premier League, but he is eager to prove his fitness at the earliest opportunity.
His participation is still not 100 per cent certain, according to the Australian chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch.
"Brett Lee has been included in the squad subject to fitness," said Hilditch. "His return to bowling at full pace will be monitored carefully and will be reviewed closer to the date of the tour.
"We have added an additional bowler to the squad to enable us to manage the workload of the fast bowlers, and in particular Brett, during the tour."
The haste at which Lee, 32, has returned may be due in part to the success of the new crop of Australian pace bowlers, who have filled the breach admirably in his absence.
According to Rod Marsh, who played 96 Test matches for Australia, Lee will be eager to regain his status as his country's leading strike-bowler, which has since been assumed by Mitchell Johnson.
"I think Brett Lee has got a point to prove," said Marsh. "The Australian pace attack, Ben Hilfenhaus, Peter Siddle and Johnson, has done well in South Africa, particularly in the Test match series.
"Johnson has overshadowed Brett Lee, because Lee hasn't been there. He has basically taken on the mantle of No 1.
"Brett Lee is a very proud cricketer. He won't like that, and there is nothing wrong at all with him not liking that.
"He will be peeved that he is not the No 1 and he will be giving it his all to get back to that position. That is a healthy thing for Australian cricket."
The fact that Johnson and Siddle will not travel to the UAE as they are being rested ahead of the Ashes later this summer goes to show the regard in which they are now held by Australia's selectors.
The all-rounder Shane Watson, another player who is convalescing following injury, has been pencilled in to tour as a batsmen, but is expected to bowl later on in the series.
Michael Clarke, Ricky Ponting's understudy, will captain the side, and has his opening partner Brad Haddin as his deputy.
pradley@thenational.ae
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The specs
Price, base: Dh228,000 / Dh232,000 (est)
Engine: 5.7-litre Hemi V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 395hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 552Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.5L / 100km
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
MORE ON TURKEY'S SYRIA OFFENCE
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
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
Analysis
Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
Asian Cup 2019
Quarter-final
UAE v Australia, Friday, 8pm, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
SQUADS
UAE
Mohammed Naveed (captain), Mohamed Usman (vice-captain), Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Imran Haider, Tahir Mughal, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed, Fahad Nawaz, Abdul Shakoor, Sultan Ahmed, CP Rizwan
Nepal
Paras Khadka (captain), Gyanendra Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, Pradeep Airee, Binod Bhandari, Avinash Bohara, Sundeep Jora, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Rohit Paudel, Sandeep Lamichhane, Lalit Rajbanshi, Basant Regmi, Pawan Sarraf, Bhim Sharki, Aarif Sheikh
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Points to remember
- Debate the issue, don't attack the person
- Build the relationship and dialogue by seeking to find common ground
- Express passion for the issue but be aware of when you're losing control or when there's anger. If there is, pause and take some time out.
- Listen actively without interrupting
- Avoid assumptions, seek understanding, ask questions
How tumultuous protests grew
- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
- Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
- Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
- An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital
MATCH INFO
Chelsea 0
Liverpool 2 (Mane 50', 54')
Red card: Andreas Christensen (Chelsea)
Man of the match: Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
The five pillars of Islam
The specs
Engine: 8.0-litre, quad-turbo 16-cylinder
Transmission: 7-speed auto
0-100kmh 2.3 seconds
0-200kmh 5.5 seconds
0-300kmh 11.6 seconds
Power: 1500hp
Torque: 1600Nm
Price: Dh13,400,000
On sale: now
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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
