Shahid Afridi has announced he has ended his self-imposed exile from Test cricket for Pakistan, saying he was now ready to play the longer form of the game for his country again.
"I am ready to play Test cricket because I feel that my country needs me, and in this time of need I would not let my team and the country down," Afridi told AFP yesterday.
Citing family commitments in 2006 after playing the last of his 26 Tests, against England in Manchester, the 30-year-old had scored 1,638 runs, five centuries and took 47 wickets in Test matches.
"My father was ill and my family wanted more attention from me so I was mainly focusing on the shorter forms of the game, but now we have to play six Tests in England and my team needs me, so I am available," said Afridi.
Appointed captain of the Twenty20 squad after Younus Khan retired from the format last year, Afridi led Pakistan to the semi-finals of the World Twenty20 in the West Indies last week.
He is now tipped to lead Pakistan in next month's Asia Cup, to be held in Sri Lanka from June 15 to 24, and his availability for Tests makes him the favourite to lead the team on the tour of England as well.
After the Asia Cup, Pakistan will play two T20 matches and two Tests against Australia in England before taking on England in four Tests, five one-day and two T20 matches from July to September.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is due to appoint the captain for both the Asia Cup squad and the tour of England on Tuesday.
Pakistan have had no one-day or Test captain since their disastrous December/January tour of Australia, in which they lost all three Tests, five one-day matches and a T20 match.
Following that tour, the PCB banned Younus Khan and Mohammad Yousuf. the former captains, indefinitely because of "infighting which let the team down".
Another former captain, Shoaib Malik, and Rana Naved-Ul-Hasan were banned for one year and fined, while Afridi, Kamran Akmal and Umar Akmal received heavy fines and were placed on six-month probation.
Malik and Naved had their appeal against their respective suspensions adjourned yesterday.
Malik's case will be heard on May 29 and Naved's on June 19.
Afridi said the Asia Cup and tour to England will be challenging.
"We have not played enough Test cricket in the recent past, but if we play to our potential and with unity, we can do well," he added.
Meanwhile, England announce their squad for the first Test against Bangladesh today.
Andrew Strauss returns to the side as captain after missing the tour of Bangladesh in March, while it is rumoured Paul Collingwood and Stuart Broad will be rested following England's successful T20 campaign in the West Indies.
* Agencies
THE SPECS
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A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
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THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
How to increase your savings
- Have a plan for your savings.
- Decide on your emergency fund target and once that's achieved, assign your savings to another financial goal such as saving for a house or investing for retirement.
- Decide on a financial goal that is important to you and put your savings to work for you.
- It's important to have a purpose for your savings as it helps to keep you motivated to continue while also reducing the temptation to spend your savings.
- Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
The specs: 2018 BMW R nineT Scrambler
Price, base / as tested Dh57,000
Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm
Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.3L / 100km
How will Gen Alpha invest?
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
The permutations for UAE going to the 2018 World Cup finals
To qualify automatically
UAE must beat Iraq.
Australia must lose in Japan and at home to Thailand, with their losing margins and the UAE's winning margin over Iraq being enough to overturn a goal difference gap of eight.
Saudi Arabia must lose to Japan, with their losing margin and the UAE's winning margin over Iraq being enough to overturn a goal difference gap of eight.
To finish third and go into a play-off with the other third-placed AFC side for a chance to reach the inter-confederation play-off match
UAE must beat Iraq.
Saudi Arabia must lose to Japan, with their losing margin and the UAE's winning margin over Iraq being enough to overturn a goal difference gap of eight.
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
RESULTS
ATP China Open
G Dimitrov (BUL x3) bt R Bautista Agut (ESP x5)
7-6, 4-6, 6-2
R Nadal (ESP x1) bt J Isner (USA x6)
6-4, 7-6
WTA China Open
S Halep (ROU x2) bt D Kasatkina (RUS)
6-2, 6-1
J Ostapenko (LAT x9) bt S Cirstea (ROU)
6-4, 6-4
ATP Japan Open
D Schwartzman (ARG x8) bt S Johnson (USA)
6-0, 7-5
D Goffin (BEL x4) bt R Gasquet (FRA)
7-5, 6-2
M Cilic (CRO x1) bt R Harrison (USA)
6-2, 6-0
The specs
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The five pillars of Islam
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
The biog
Hobby: Playing piano and drawing patterns
Best book: Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins
Food of choice: Sushi
Favourite colour: Orange
Company%20profile
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