England have completed a first series victory in Sri Lanka for 17 years, wrapping up the second Test by 57 runs on the final morning in Kandy.
The tourists, whose previous win on these shores came in 2001, needed just half-an-hour on day five to dismiss Sri Lanka for 243 - taking the last three wickets for 17 runs.
Moeen Ali claimed the key scalp of Niroshan Dickwella for 35, then clean bowled Suranga Lakmal for duck before Jack Leach ended things with a caught and bowled to see off last man Malinda Pushpakumara and bag his maiden five-wicket haul.
England take a 2-0 lead into the final match in Colombo, eyeing a historic clean sweep.
Beating Sri Lanka is not quite the scalp it was in the days of Muttiah Muralitharan, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene but this still represents a considerable achievement given they have lost only one of the previous six series on home soil and recently thrashed South Africa.
It also represents England's first away triumph since they defeated the Proteas in 2015/16, and a first with Joe Root at the helm.
Root's side had arrived at Pallekele Stadium as favourites to finish the job, with two late wickets on day four swinging the momentum sharply in their direction after Angelo Mathews' fightback.
Home hopes laid squarely with Dickwella, a talented ball-striker more suited to a blaze of glory than a meticulous chase.
He played against type as he and Akila Dananjaya knuckled down for almost five overs, working singles to chalk off 14 from their target.
____________
Read more:
Reactions: Joe Root targets No 1 Test ranking after England win series in Sri Lanka
Comment: Virat Kohli still has time to correct the course in the court of public opinion
Ajaz Patel revels in 'special moment' as Black Caps peg back Pakistan in Abu Dhabi
Paul Radley: UAE T20x can succeed elsewhere despite cancellation, says organiser
____________
There was nothing to alarm England beyond the batsmen's steady mindset and enough turn for both their left and right-arm finger spinners to work with.
Had they had to wait much longer, the tension would surely have begun ratcheting up, but Moeen hit the jackpot with the first ball of his third over.
He tossed one up to tempt Dickwella and ripped it just enough to take the edge and sail safely to Ben Stokes at slip.
Dickwella pivoted angrily on his heel and gestured towards the stumps with his bat, knowing he had left too much for the tail to do.
Moeen wasted no time in besting Lakmal, a big lbw appeal first up and then pegging back off stump as the next ball straightened from around the wicket.
He finished with 4-72, with left-armer Leach drawing things to a close by pouching the simplest of return catches from Pushpakumara.
That saw him close on five for 83 and also ensured a record 38 of the 40 wickets to fall in the match had been taken by spinners.
Lakmal's dismissal of Keaton Jennings on the first morning was the seamer's only scalp, with Stokes chiming in with a first-innings run out.
According to data analysts CricViz, the last time no English seamer took a wicket in a match was in Karachi in 1973.
______________
Listen to our weekly cricket podcasts
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.
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 Group 1 (PA) | US$95,000 | (Dirt) 2,000m
7.05pm: Meydan Classic Listed (TB) ) | $175,000) | (Turf) 1,600m
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) ) | $135,000 ) | (D) 1,600m
8.15pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy Group 3 (TB) ) | $300,000) | (T) 2,810m
8.50pm: Curlin Handicap Listed (TB)) | $160,000) | (D) 2,000m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB)) | $175,000) | (T) 1,400m
10pm: Handicap (TB) ) | $135,000 ) | (T) 2,000m
A cryptocurrency primer for beginners
Cryptocurrency Investing for Dummies – by Kiana Danial
There are several primers for investing in cryptocurrencies available online, including e-books written by people whose credentials fall apart on the second page of your preferred search engine.
Ms Danial is a finance coach and former currency analyst who writes for Nasdaq. Her broad-strokes primer (2019) breaks down investing in cryptocurrency into baby steps, while explaining the terms and technologies involved.
Although cryptocurrencies are a fast evolving world, this book offers a good insight into the game as well as providing some basic tips, strategies and warning signs.
Begin your cryptocurrency journey here.
Available at Magrudy’s , Dh104
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Clinicy%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Prince%20Mohammed%20Bin%20Abdulrahman%2C%20Abdullah%20bin%20Sulaiman%20Alobaid%20and%20Saud%20bin%20Sulaiman%20Alobaid%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Riyadh%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2025%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20HealthTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%20raised%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20More%20than%20%2410%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Middle%20East%20Venture%20Partners%2C%20Gate%20Capital%2C%20Kafou%20Group%20and%20Fadeed%20Investment%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
