MELBOURNE // Usman Khawaja said on Monday he was confident his recurring hamstring problems were behind him as the batsman works towards a recall to the Australia team for the second Test against the West Indies.
Khawaja returned from a spell on the sidelines in Sunday’s Big Bash League Twenty20 match, scoring an explosive 109 off 70 balls for the Sydney Thunder in their one-run win over the Melbourne Stars.
“I’m very happy I got through the game. I feel really good today,” Khawaja said. “Just normal general soreness, the hammies feel really good.”
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Khawaja, 29, is expected to return to Australia’s Test side against West Indies at Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday, at the expense of either Joe Burns or Shaun Marsh.
Pakistan-born Khawaja has been out for a month since injuring his hamstring during Australia’s second Test against New Zealand in Perth.
He has spent most of his time out at Cricket Australia’s training base in Brisbane, focusing on the troublesome tendons and muscles.
“My hamstrings are definitely stronger than they have been in the last three years. The last testing I had to do on Friday was a hamstring strength test,” he said. “My hamstrings came up stronger than they’ve been in the last three years.
“I did a lot of hard work over the last four weeks, the trainers up at the training base pushed me pretty hard. That’s what I needed to do.”
Coach Darren Lehmann said last month that Khawaja must “get fit and strong and faster first and make sure we don’t have another injury”.
“I pushed myself pretty hard,” Khawaja conceded. “I couldn’t go there and try to nurse it or not go 100 per cent because I know that’s not what Boof [Lehmann] wants.”
Khawaja has been sidelined since scoring 174 and 121 in the first two Tests against New Zealand last month.
During his absence, replacement Marsh made a strong case for his retention with his highest Test score of 182 during the first Test against the Windies in Hobart. That could leave Burns as the possible fall guy.
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Company name: Revibe
Started: 2022
Founders: Hamza Iraqui and Abdessamad Ben Zakour
Based: UAE
Industry: Refurbished electronics
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Founder/CEO: Mohammed Toraif
Based: Manama, Bahrain
Sector: Sales, Technology, Conservation
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Investors: Two first-round investors including, 500 Startups, Fawaz Al Gosaibi Holding (Saudi Arabia)
What is the Supreme Petroleum Council?
The Abu Dhabi Supreme Petroleum Council was established in 1988 and is the highest governing body in Abu Dhabi’s oil and gas industry. The council formulates, oversees and executes the emirate’s petroleum-related policies. It also approves the allocation of capital spending across state-owned Adnoc’s upstream, downstream and midstream operations and functions as the company’s board of directors. The SPC’s mandate is also required for auctioning oil and gas concessions in Abu Dhabi and for awarding blocks to international oil companies. The council is chaired by Sheikh Khalifa, the President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi while Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, is the vice chairman.
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Yorkshire Vikings 144-1 in 12.5 overs
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Lt Gen Erik Petersen, deputy chief of programs, US Army, has argued it took a+“three decade holiday” on modernising tanks.
“There clearly remains a significant armoured heavy ground manoeuvre threat in this world and maintaining a world class armoured force is absolutely vital,” the general said in London last week.
“We are developing next generation capabilities to compete with and deter adversaries to prevent opportunism or miscalculation, and, if necessary, defeat any foe decisively.”
Itcan profile
Founders: Mansour Althani and Abdullah Althani
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last-16 second leg
Paris Saint-Germain (1) v Borussia Dortmund (2)
Kick-off: Midnight, Thursday, March 12
Stadium: Parc des Princes
Live: On beIN Sports HD
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Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 250hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 350Nm @ 1,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.4L / 100km
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Squads
India (for first three ODIs) Kohli (capt), Rohit, Rahul, Pandey, Jadhav, Rahane, Dhoni, Pandya, Axar, Kuldeep, Chahal, Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar, Umesh, Shami.
Australia Smith (capt), Warner, Agar, Cartwright, Coulter-Nile, Cummins, Faulkner, Finch, Head, Maxwell, Richardson, Stoinis, Wade, Zampa.
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
Cricket World Cup League Two
Teams
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Namibia beat Oman by 52 runs
UAE beat Namibia by eight wickets
Fixtures
Saturday January 11 - UAE v Oman
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
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Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
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