So quickly did England make their presence felt in the T20 World Cup in the UAE, the Barmy Army had scarcely had chance to find their voice before a first victory was clinched.
The travelling supporters had just managed a few lines of “Everywhere we go” before Jos Buttler set the sealed on a six-wicket trouncing of West Indies at the Dubai International Stadium.
Even the margin of victory was misleading. England had stumbled over their pursuit of a meagre 56 to win, as they chased a rapid victory to provide a net run-rate boost.
The fact they did cross the line with 70 balls to spare could prove handy when the Super 12 which its business end it a few weeks’ time.
It has been eight days since cricket had last been played at this stadium. Whether the groundstaff have been able to revive the wicket after a month’s worth of traffic had passed over it in the Indian Premier League remains to be seen.
The fact the West Indies tumbled to such a paltry score in the first match of their title defence was little to do with the facilities. Even Kieron Pollard, their captain, acknowledged as much.
He said his side had “been demolished”, pointing out there were “no demons in the pitch – it was a good batting track, but not a good batting display”.
“We accept it, and we take full responsibility for what transpired,” Pollard said.
“Games like this, you want to bin as soon as possible and move on. If you try to dig too deep, you might unearth something you really don’t want to.”
One thing that certainly had not changed in the week or so since the IPL concluded in Dubai was the form of Moeen Ali.
The England allrounder had played a starring role when Chennai Super Kings amassed 192-3 to win that tournament earlier this month.
In his first competitive action since, he continued to thrive. Back then in the yellow of Chennai, it had been with the bat where he shone brightest. This time it was with the ball and in the field.
He started England’s campaign with a fine catch, retreating from mid off, to dismiss Evin Lewis. Buoyed, he then took the wickets of Lendl Simmons and Shimron Hetmyer.
By the time his four overs were finished – bowled off the reel, and with the new ball – the Caribbean side were four wickets down, and the game was as good as finished.
Even then, he was upstaged by his spin colleague, Adil Rashid. The leg-spinner took 4-2– the best figures ever by an Englishman in T20 internationals - to hurry the West Indies innings to a close.
Although England’s spinners performed well, the West Indies batsmen were certainly culpable for their own demise.
England arrived at this tournament as the top-ranked side, while the holders were way down in ninth. That said, the Caribbean side are fancied in many quarters given both their depth of experience and the number of power hitters in their line up.
The commitment to power hitting, though, was their undoing against England.
Despite Rashid’s figures, it was Moeen who earned the player of the match award.
“I think Moeen Ali read the conditions beautifully,” said Eoin Morgan, the England captain who was at the non-striker’s end as Buttler hit the winning runs.
“He took chances when his match-up was in his favour, and to take his opportunity like he has, after the success he's had in the IPL was brilliant.”
Although England have designs on something more substantial than one – albeit crushing – opening day win over the holders in this event, Morgan was delighted with the way they had performed.
“It's as good as it gets,” Morgan said. “To start our campaign like that, all credit to our bowling unit.”
'Texas Chainsaw Massacre'
Rating: 1 out of 4
Running time: 81 minutes
Director: David Blue Garcia
Starring: Sarah Yarkin, Elsie Fisher, Mark Burnham
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
Mobile phone packages comparison
SPECS
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Brief scores:
Toss: Australia, chose to bat
Australia: 272-9 (50 ov)
Khawaja 100, Handscomb 52; Bhuvneshwar 3-48
India: 237 (50 ov)
Rohit 56, Bhuvneshwar 46; Zampa 3-46
Player of the Match: Usman Khawaja (Australia)
Player of the Series: Usman Khawaja (Australia)
World Cup warm-up fixtures
Friday, May 24:
- Pakistan v Afghanistan (Bristol)
- Sri Lanka v South Africa (Cardiff)
Saturday, May 25
- England v Australia (Southampton)
- India v New Zealand (The Oval, London)
Sunday, May 26
- South Africa v West Indies (Bristol)
- Pakistan v Bangladesh (Cardiff)
Monday, May 27
- Australia v Sri Lanka (Southampton)
- England v Afghanistan (The Oval, London)
Tuesday, May 28
- West Indies v New Zealand (Bristol)
- Bangladesh v India (Cardiff)
PRO BASH
Thursday’s fixtures
6pm: Hyderabad Nawabs v Pakhtoon Warriors
10pm: Lahore Sikandars v Pakhtoon Blasters
Teams
Chennai Knights, Lahore Sikandars, Pakhtoon Blasters, Abu Dhabi Stars, Abu Dhabi Dragons, Pakhtoon Warriors and Hyderabad Nawabs.
Squad rules
All teams consist of 15-player squads that include those contracted in the diamond (3), platinum (2) and gold (2) categories, plus eight free to sign team members.
Tournament rules
The matches are of 25 over-a-side with an 8-over power play in which only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle. Teams play in a single round robin league followed by the semi-finals and final. The league toppers will feature in the semi-final eliminator.
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
THE SPECS
2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid LE
Engine: 1.8 litre combined with 16-volt electric motors
Transmission: Automatic with manual shifting mode
Power: 121hp
Torque: 142Nm
Price: Dh95,900
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Canada
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German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
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A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
2019 ASIA CUP POTS
Pot 1
UAE, Iran, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia
Pot 2
China, Syria, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Qatar, Thailand
Pot 3
Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Palestine, Oman, India, Vietnam
Pot 4
North Korea, Philippines, Bahrain, Jordan, Yemen, Turkmenistan
Brief scoreline:
Burnley 3
Barnes 63', 70', Berg Gudmundsson 75'
Southampton 3
Man of the match
Ashley Barnes (Burnley)
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
