DUBAI // South Africa have a long history in the latter stages of major ICC events but do not have one major title to their name. For such a historically strong cricket nation, it has always been an anomaly.
South Africa’s junior side showed their senior counterparts how it is done yesterday with a comprehensive victory over Pakistan in Dubai to take the title of U19 world champions.
The six-wicket winning margin was reflective of a dominant performance on Saturday, but also due reward for an impeccable campaign in which they were undefeated.
In the final, as in the entire tournament, South Africa relied on pace and seam in a match that, for Pakistan, must have felt a lot like the (senior) 1999 World Cup final against Australia.
That day, after Pakistan chose to bat, Australia hustled them out for just 132 and then hunted down the target easily. On Saturday Sami Aslam also chose to bat first and, even before the halfway mark, saw his side six down.
The batting was not particularly flash, but more credit should be ascribed to South Africa’s four pace bowlers. Kagiso Rabada set the tone early, bowling with real zip and targeting Pakistan’s hitherto successful opening pair of Aslam and Imam-ul-Haq with short-pitched deliveries.
One of the few deliveries he did pitch up did the trick, a wonderful ball angling across Imam, which he could only poke at for a catch behind.
That sparked a collapse of seven for 49, though the prime beneficiaries of Rabada’s opening were Justin Dill and Corbin Bosch.
Neither has the pace of Rabada but both are clearly from the Shaun Pollock school of bowling. They found the perfect line outside off and simply pegged away, occasionally getting a ball to move either way.
Pakistani batsmen, regardless of age, environment or bowler, struggle with that kind of assault and duly obliged. A succession of indeterminate prods, pushes and wafts presented Bosch with four wickets and Dill a couple. Behind the stumps, Clyde Fortuin picked up six, mostly straightforward catches.
As in the semi-final against England, Zafar Gohar and Amad Butt resisted with a punchy 45-run stand. But the innings was too far gone by then for true redemption. When Gohar fell, in pursuit of runs, the end was nigh.
But this would not be a South African side without a wobble of some sort on the road to triumph.
They began their chase nervily, and with excessive caution. When Butt and Karamat Ali dismissed Fortuin and Jason Smith in quick succession, a repeat of Pakistan’s remarkable 2006 final win over India was not out of the question.
But Aiden Markram, South Africa’s captain, is a scarily mature young man, ready-made almost for ascension to the senior ranks. He calmed his side’s nerves and repelled the momentum Karamat and Gohar were creating with their spin.
He was unafraid to take his time over the chase. He never quite mastered Karamat but knew that he did not need to, happily picking off runs from the other bowlers.
In tandem with the equally resolute Greg Oldfield, they led South Africa to the brink with a 78-run stand.
Typically, South Africa stuttered before Markram again steadied them. In the process he reached 50, to go with two centuries already in the tournament. He made sure they crawled along and got there in the end.
It hardly mattered how long they took for ultimately it was about breaking a long-running jinx. Instead, with a second final loss in three tournaments, maybe Pakistan are in one of their own.
osamiuddin@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter at SprtNationalUAE
Age 26
Born May 17, 1991
Height 1.80 metres
Birthplace Sydney, Australia
Residence Eastbourne, England
Plays Right-handed
WTA titles 3
Prize money US$5,761,870 (Dh21,162,343.75)
Wins / losses 312 / 181
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The design
The protective shell is covered in solar panels to make use of light and produce energy. This will drastically reduce energy loss.
More than 80 per cent of the energy consumed by the French pavilion will be produced by the sun.
The architecture will control light sources to provide a highly insulated and airtight building.
The forecourt is protected from the sun and the plants will refresh the inner spaces.
A micro water treatment plant will recycle used water to supply the irrigation for the plants and to flush the toilets. This will reduce the pavilion’s need for fresh water by 30 per cent.
Energy-saving equipment will be used for all lighting and projections.
Beyond its use for the expo, the pavilion will be easy to dismantle and reuse the material.
Some elements of the metal frame can be prefabricated in a factory.
From architects to sound technicians and construction companies, a group of experts from 10 companies have created the pavilion.
Work will begin in May; the first stone will be laid in Dubai in the second quarter of 2019.
Construction of the pavilion will take 17 months from May 2019 to September 2020.
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Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
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Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Top investing tips for UAE residents in 2021
Build an emergency fund: Make sure you have enough cash to cover six months of expenses as a buffer against unexpected problems before you begin investing, advises Steve Cronin, the founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com.
Think long-term: When you invest, you need to have a long-term mindset, so don’t worry about momentary ups and downs in the stock market.
Invest worldwide: Diversify your investments globally, ideally by way of a global stock index fund.
Is your money tied up: Avoid anything where you cannot get your money back in full within a month at any time without any penalty.
Skip past the promises: “If an investment product is offering more than 10 per cent return per year, it is either extremely risky or a scam,” Mr Cronin says.
Choose plans with low fees: Make sure that any funds you buy do not charge more than 1 per cent in fees, Mr Cronin says. “If you invest by yourself, you can easily stay below this figure.” Managed funds and commissionable investments often come with higher fees.
Be sceptical about recommendations: If someone suggests an investment to you, ask if they stand to gain, advises Mr Cronin. “If they are receiving commission, they are unlikely to recommend an investment that’s best for you.”
Get financially independent: Mr Cronin advises UAE residents to pursue financial independence. Start with a Google search and improve your knowledge via expat investing websites or Facebook groups such as SimplyFI.
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
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