An out-of-court settlement has ended the legal battle between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the International Cricket Council (ICC), the sport's governing body, over the country's share of 2011 World Cup matches.
The ICC relocated Pakistan's 14 scheduled World Cup matches due to security concerns after the Sri Lankan team were attacked in Lahore last March.
The tragedy dealt a major blow to Pakistan's chances of hosting international cricket and their share of games were divvied up between the World Cup's other subcontinent hosts - eight going to India, four to Sri Lanka and two to Bangladesh.
Initial talks to reach a financial compromise failed, but the PCB - who threatened to revive the legal fight - have brokered a lucrative compensation package.
"The legal course has ended and Pakistan will get the hosting rights fee of £6.3million (Dh38.2m) and the ICC will also compensate us a substantial amount," PCB chairman Ijaz Butt said yesterday.
With the UAE a leading candidate to host switched games, the agreement ends any hope of Pakistan's World Cup matches being played at neutral venues. "We did think over hosting the matches on neutral venues, but it would have cost us losses," Butt added.
Meanwhile, Australia have drafted uncapped wicketkeeper Chris Hartley into their team for the two-day match against England Lions at Canterbury. Injuries to Brad Haddin (broken finger) and Graham Manou (hand) could see the rookie stake a claim for a place in next week's fifth Ashes Test at the Oval.
Former England batsman Marcus Trescothick woke up in a cold sweat this week at the thought of a possible recall for the Test, he said yesterday. "There is a nightmare a lot of cricketers experience that they can't get their pads on when they are due in to bat," he wrote in his column in the Bristol Evening Post.
The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) terminated the contract of national team coach John Dyson. The Australian oversaw the Windies recent Test and one-day losses to Bangladesh.
@Email:emegson@thenational.ae
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THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
if you go
The flights
Direct flights from the UAE to the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, are available with Air Arabia, (www.airarabia.com) Fly Dubai (www.flydubai.com) or Etihad (www.etihad.com) from Dh1,200 return including taxes. The trek described here started from Jomson, but there are many other start and end point variations depending on how you tailor your trek. To get to Jomson from Kathmandu you must first fly to the lake-side resort town of Pokhara with either Buddha Air (www.buddhaair.com) or Yeti Airlines (www.yetiairlines.com). Both charge around US$240 (Dh880) return. From Pokhara there are early morning flights to Jomson with Yeti Airlines or Simrik Airlines (www.simrikairlines.com) for around US$220 (Dh800) return.
The trek
Restricted area permits (US$500 per person) are required for trekking in the Upper Mustang area. The challenging Meso Kanto pass between Tilcho Lake and Jomson should not be attempted by those without a lot of mountain experience and a good support team. An excellent trekking company with good knowledge of Upper Mustang, the Annaurpuna Circuit and Tilcho Lake area and who can help organise a version of the trek described here is the Nepal-UK run Snow Cat Travel (www.snowcattravel.com). Prices vary widely depending on accommodation types and the level of assistance required.
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
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Engine: 5.0-litre V8
Power: 480hp at 7,250rpm
Torque: 566Nm at 4,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: L/100km
Price: Dh306,495
On sale: now
Mobile phone packages comparison
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
