The former England international, who has taken 234 one-day wickets and 229 in Tests, gives his view.
Kevin Pietersen will love it as England skipper and it could take him to a new level. Is he the right choice?
He was probably the only choice because he is the only one who you would say has deserved to keep his place in the team and you would expect to be around for the Ashes next year too.
Andrew Strauss was probably the best Test choice, but will he keep his place in the team for the next 12 months?
Robert Key was an outsider and Freddie (Flintoff) was another I would have considered. I thought he did well as captain before. He is a great leader on the pitch, but maybe the team want him to concentrate on his form and fitness and not add the pressure of captaincy just now.
After Michael Vaughan's decision, Paul Collingwood has had a chat and stepped down as one-day captain and that's probably a good thing too as it means he can concentrate on his batting.
He showed magnificent strength and character with that century in the second Test when everyone was on his back. I was one of those who thought he should have been dropped and fair play to Colly for responding like that.
Pietersen has always loved a challenge and will relish the chance to show he can be the best player and best captain.
He has always enjoyed the spotlight and captaining England is a dream for any player.
But it is a hard job, too. There is a lot of pressure, and Pietersen will have to deal with that. He will know that the media will love you at the start, but if he has a difficult time then it can get nasty.
He will love starting it off against South Africa in the fourth Test, but he has not got an easy start after that with India, West Indies in the Caribbean and then Australia next summer.
The Ashes can make or break you. But this is the opportunity Pietersen has wanted and I hope he is given time and support and if he does a good job he could make it his for years to come.
What he also has to show is that he can be selfless and play for the team. There are times he has been criticised for playing for himself, but he has wanted to show he is the best.
I don't know if he can play any better than he has because he's a superb player already, but this will give him added responsibility, make him a better all-round player, and he has to think about other things than himself.
When he's out there batting and there's a risky shot on, he might have to think twice because you can't always take chances as a captain. He has to lead and set the example for the rest of the team.
It's never easy changing and he might stick to what he knows and does best, but he does not want to invite criticism upon himself.
I thought Vaughan was an excellent leader and should have stayed in the team and as captain until the Ashes.
He was respected by the players because he looked after them and supported them. The outside pressures have affected him and he obviously felt it was the right time to stop.
Maybe Vaughan became a bit more guarded after taking the job. It has taken a bit of out of him and maybe changed him.
It won't be a problem coming back into the team as a player, not captain. It's happened in the past with people like Nasser Hussain and Graham Gooch.
@Email:sports@thenational.ae
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Results
4pm: Al Bastakiya – Listed (TB) $150,000 (Dirt) 1,900m; Winner: Panadol, Mickael Barzalona (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)
4.35pm: Dubai City Of Gold – Group 2 (TB) $228,000 (Turf) 2,410m; Winner: Walton Street, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
5.10pm: Mahab Al Shimaal – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Canvassed, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
5.45pm: Burj Nahaar – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Midnight Sands, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
6.20pm: Jebel Hatta – Group 1 (TB) $260,000 (T) 1,800m; Winner: Lord Glitters, Daniel Tudhope, David O’Meara
6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 – Group 1 (TB) $390,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Salute The Soldier, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
7.30pm: Nad Al Sheba – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Final Song, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
The Outsider
Stephen King, Penguin
The specs
A4 35 TFSI
Engine: 2.0-litre, four-cylinder
Transmission: seven-speed S-tronic automatic
Power: 150bhp
Torque: 270Nm
Price: Dh150,000 (estimate)
On sale: First Q 2020
A4 S4 TDI
Engine: 3.0-litre V6 turbo diesel
Transmission: eight-speed PDK automatic
Power: 350bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh165,000 (estimate)
On sale: First Q 2020
It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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