Centurion, South Africa // When it was announced that South Africa and New Zealand would play a one-day international series during the South African winter, the obvious marketing angle was that it would provide a rematch of the dramatic World Cup semi-final between the two teams.
New Zealand won the World Cup showdown with a six off the penultimate ball of the match at Auckland in March. However, the series that starts at SuperSport Park on Wednesday is far from a replay.
Both sides are missing key players.
New Zealand, in particular, have been hit hard by injuries.
Plus, their player management policy has regular captain Brendon McCullum and fast bowler Tim Southee being rested.
Yet, despite injuries ruling out Trent Boult, Corey Anderson, Ross Taylor and Mitchell Santner, the Black Caps showed in sharing a Twenty20 series, which ended on Sunday, that they are capable of mounting a strong challenge.
After losing the first Twenty20 international at Durban by six wickets, New Zealand bounced back by winning the second game by 32 runs at Centurion on Sunday.
Stand-in New Zealand captain Kane Williamson praised the way the side had turned around their fortunes, but he also warned they would need to improve even further going into a 50-overs series.
On the evidence of the T20 games, New Zealand will need bigger contributions from their middle-order batsmen after Williamson and Martin Guptill gave them good starts that were not fully capitalised on.
Meanwhile, South African captain AB de Villiers bemoaned the Proteas’ inability to adapt to an untypical Centurion pitch that in winter conditions was dry and slower than usual.
South Africa’s bowling will be strengthened by the return of fast bowlers Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander and leg-spinner Imran Tahir.
All three missed the T20 games.
But the Proteas will be without fast bowler Morne Morkel, who will join batsman JP Duminy on paternity leave.
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Match info
Uefa Nations League Group B:
England v Spain, Saturday, 11.45pm (UAE)
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The Beach Bum
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Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Isla Fisher, Snoop Dogg
Two stars
The Sand Castle
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Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
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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.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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