DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA // England moved into a match-winning position in the first Test against a South Africa side that endured a dramatic third day.
The hosts endured a batting collapse, dropped three catches, lost star bowler Dale Steyn to a shoulder injury and left themselves with a mountain to climb to salvage the series opener.
It also remains to be seen what explanation the umpires give for changing the ball following a lengthy discussion with captain Hashim Amla in the 26th over.
England finished the day 261 in front on 172 for three, a handsome lead on a wearing and slow-scoring Kingsmead pitch.
Moeen Ali took three wickets in the morning to finish with four for 69 and Joe Root worked hard for 60 not out to advance the cause in either innings, but this was a day of Proteas’ abdication.
AB De Villiers – reluctantly wearing the wicketkeeping gloves again – dropped Root on six and Nick Compton on 45, while Dean Elgar took some of the gloss off a hard-fought century by grassing Compton on 11 and failing to get a decent hand on a caught-and-bowled chance.
ALSO READ: Hashim Amla's rocky start to South Africa captaincy not about to get any easier as England visit
The judgement over Steyn was highly questionable, too. He left the field with a right shoulder strain midway through his fourth over and despite being booked in for a scan, returned to bowl the 21st. This time he lasted only three balls before pulling up again and heading to hospital.
“Today was all about being patient and thankfully it went well,” said Moeen said. “I’ve worked a lot harder since I’ve been here on my bowling. It’s paying off, but there’s still a long way to go.
“Maybe dropping down the order has helped. I know my role in the side quite well. I have to hold an end up or, if it’s spinning, take some wickets,” the all-rounder added. “I’ve had to change my action quit a few times. Even when I’ve bowled well, I’ve had to change. It’s not easy against quality players.”
South Africa are not the world’s No 1 side by chance, but this was a day that saw their performance fall below standards on all fronts.
England’s morning session went almost exactly to plan, dismissing South Africa for 214 with six wickets tumbling for just 77 runs. Elgar, 67 not out overnight, badly needed someone to stick with him but neither JP Duminy nor Kyle Abbott were able.
Moeen removed both in classical off-spinner’s fashion, the left-handed Duminy guiding to slip and Abbott lobbing one to short-leg via bat and pad.
Steyn batted with greater purpose, allowing Elgar to bring up a fourth Test hundred. With the change of ball two overs away Steyn sent up a steepling catch that Chris Woakes finally controlled at the third attempt.
Finn then wrapped things up by seeing off Dane Piedt and Morkel in his first over with the new ball, as Elgar carried his bat for 118.
An 89-run first-innings lead looked a good one for England, and their sense of comfort only increased when Steyn pulled up in the seventh over. The bowler has just come back from three Tests out with a groin strain, and the sight of their premier bowler struggling again was a tough one to take for the home fans.
In his absence there was an early look at the spinner, Piedt, and an early success, too.
Alastair Cook did not reprise his first-innings duck but he managed only seven before Piedt had him lbw. Piedt also accounted for the wicket of Alex Hales, who picked out Abbott with an aerial stroke having reached 26.
By now Steyn had returned to the field but, with scans booked for later in the day it was still a huge surprise to see him return to his mark for the 21st over.
He charged in manfully, almost persuading Compton to play on with his second ball, but after a third he again walked off with the physio.
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Things went from bad to worse before tea, Morkel having both batsmen dropped from successive overs.
Both should have been straightforward catches but Compton was grassed by Elgar at second slip before De Villiers appeared to lose sight of a glove behind from Root.
Compton’s second life came when De Villiers parried a catchable nick to the boundary, but he was gone next ball when the wicketkeeper finally clung on.
Root stood firm to see stumps with James Taylor (24no) and passed 50 for the 13th time in 26 innings this year, equalling the Test record.
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Engine: 6.2-litre V8
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
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Dust storm
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Who has been sanctioned?
Daniella Weiss and Nachala
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Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
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Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
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Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
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Based: Tunisia
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Investment raised: $4 million
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England v South Africa schedule:
- First Test: At Lord's, England won by 219 runs
- Second Test: July 14-18, Trent Bridge, Nottingham, 2pm
- Third Test: The Oval, London, July 27-31, 2pm
- Fourth Test: Old Trafford, Manchester, August 4-8
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
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4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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How Beautiful this world is!
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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In Search of Mary Shelley: The Girl Who Wrote Frankenstein
By Fiona Sampson
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