Hashim Amla is all too aware that the performance of the India spinners will go a long way to deciding the World Twenty20 semi-final against South Africa on Friday.
The challenge posed by legspinner Amit Mishra and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who have each won two player-of-the-match awards so far in the tournament, compounds the threat already posed by India’s powerful batting lineup.
India entered the World Twenty20 in the midst of a form slump but have peaked at the right time, and are the only unbeaten squad.
South Africa also have a balanced lineup, including batsmen adept at playing spin, but will need to adjust quickly to the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium pitch, which has been playing slower and lower than the Chittagong wicket where the Proteas played their group games.
“The wickets in Chittagong had a bit more pace and bounce,” Amla said ahead of the match. “There is a bit of a difference here and that’s something we’ll have to look out for.”
Also, while India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is in line to hold all three ICC titles simultaneously since he led the team to the 2011 World Cup and the 2013 Champions Trophy, South Africa have always faltered at the knockout stage in big tournaments.
Yuvraj Singh’s 43-ball 60 against Australia also gives confidence to Dhoni since the left-hander can decimate any bowling on his day.
Yuvraj, who missed a practice session Wednesday after a foot injury sustained during a football session, was hoping to also chip in with the ball despite the presence of another left-arm spinner in Ravindra Jadeja.
“The pitch has helped spinners more as the tournament has progressed,” Yuvraj said. “The wicket has been slow and I’m working hard on my bowling as well.”
South Africa legspinner Imran Tahir, who has bagged 11 wickets in the tournament and has taken tips from Shane Warne, faces his biggest challenge in the tournament against the likes of Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh and Dhoni.
South Africa’s bowlers put up superb efforts to ensure two wins against New Zealand and the Netherlands and all-rounder JP Duminy hopes the team can repeat the performance against the 2007 champion.
“The ways to win a game out of nothing is definitely something we will take confidence from,” Duminy said. “But this is a new game It’s a big game – the semi-final of a World Cup. It doesn’t get bigger than this.”
The other semifinal was scheduled to be played between the West Indies and Sri Lanka on Thursday.
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LEADERBOARD
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Dark Souls: Remastered
Developer: From Software (remaster by QLOC)
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Price: Dh199
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
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Young women have more “financial grit”, but fall behind on investing
In an October survey of young adults aged 16 to 25, Charles Schwab found young women are more driven to reach financial independence than young men (67 per cent versus. 58 per cent). They are more likely to take on extra work to make ends meet and see more value than men in creating a plan to achieve their financial goals. Yet, despite all these good ‘first’ measures, they are investing and saving less than young men – falling early into the financial gender gap.
While the women surveyed report spending 36 per cent less than men, they have far less savings than men ($1,267 versus $2,000) – a nearly 60 per cent difference.
In addition, twice as many young men as women say they would invest spare cash, and almost twice as many young men as women report having investment accounts (though most young adults do not invest at all).
“Despite their good intentions, young women start to fall behind their male counterparts in savings and investing early on in life,” said Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, senior vice president, Charles Schwab. “They start off showing a strong financial planning mindset, but there is still room for further education when it comes to managing their day-to-day finances.”
Ms Schwab-Pomerantz says parents should be conveying the same messages to boys and girls about money, but should tailor those conversations based on the individual and gender.
"Our study shows that while boys are spending more than girls, they also are saving more. Have open and honest conversations with your daughters about the wage and savings gap," she said. "Teach kids about the importance of investing – especially girls, who as we see in this study, aren’t investing as much. Part of being financially prepared is learning to make the most of your money, and that means investing early and consistently."
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