ABU DHABI // Back at Lord's, the professional players of Middlesex and the MCC Young Cricketers were vying for room with a host of children, who are attending Easter coaching classes in the indoor nets.
There was no chance of any of them getting outside onto the Nursery field, submerged as it was by puddles from April showers which had arrived a few days early.
MCC's champion county fixture is supposed to represent the beginning of English summer. They would not mind if there was even the suggestion of a hint of spring back at headquarters at present.
Against that backdrop, moving the traditional curtain-raiser to the English domestic season to Abu Dhabi was a no-brainer.
Importantly, the host club, MCC, are now one day better off in assessing the feasibility of pink cricket balls and day-night first-class cricket.
They are still a long way off finding a definite answer as to whether the concept will save the first-class - and then Test - game from diminishing support, but this was a start.
Yesterday's opening day (and night) provided one tentative positive at least. There was next to no one watching when the opening session commenced.
Yet, with the glare of the floodlights luring cricket fans from Airport Road, a few people filed in after office hours had ended. It was barely more than a handful of spectators, but a handful that would not have been there had it clashed with work or school.
However, the pink ball, which is supposed to aid visibility, certainly needs some work on this evidence. It started off almost florescent pink, but when the lacquer was beaten from it, the ball it had almost returned to the usual dark red.
When Dean Cosker, the left-arm spinner who is the slowest of the MCC bowlers, was wheeling away at 7pm, with the floodlights at maximum output, viewing the ball was tough.
And not just from the vast distance of the media centre at the back of the main stand. It must have been tricky for the players, too, judging by the way Scott Newman juggled a dolly of a catch, before finally holding on to dismiss Will Smith, the Durham captain.
There was also the side issue of a match to focus on. Durham, the county champions, had by far the better of the play from the moment Smith called correctly at the toss.
Scoring 1,000 first-class runs before the end of May used to be considered a fine achievement in the English game. After his classy century at the Zayed Stadium last night, Michael di Venuto is well on his way there already, and it is not even the end of March yet.
The Australian left-hander made a serene 131 from 180 balls, making the lion's share of a 181-run first-wicket alliance with Kyle Coetzer.
For all the novelty of this fixture, few of the players are strangers to this part of the world. Durham's run of success in the domestic game in recent years began with regular jaunts to Abu Dhabi, Ajman and Sharjah, for warm weather, pre-season cricket.
Their coach, Geoff Cook, spends much of the off-season coaching here, conducting clinics for the Sharjah-based Young Talents Cricket Academy. He was even here coaching on Christmas eve in 2008, before jetting back to Durham in time to carve the turkey.
Coetzer had played on this ground as recently as February, when he lined up for Scotland in the World Twenty20 qualifier.
He needed little time to re-climatise, as he also helped himself to a century as the MCC bowlers struggled to derive any assistance from the most docile of wickets.
@Email:pradley@thenational.ae
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
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BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
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PAKISTAN v SRI LANKA
Twenty20 International series
Thu Oct 26, 1st T20I, Abu Dhabi
Fri Oct 27, 2nd T20I, Abu Dhabi
Sun Oct 29, 3rd T20I, Lahore
Tickets are available at www.q-tickets.com
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
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Lowest Test scores
26 - New Zealand v England at Auckland, March 1955
30 - South Africa v England at Port Elizabeth, Feb 1896
30 - South Africa v England at Birmingham, June 1924
35 - South Africa v England at Cape Town, April 1899
36 - South Africa v Australia at Melbourne, Feb. 1932
36 - Australia v England at Birmingham, May 1902
36 - India v Australia at Adelaide, Dec. 2020
38 - Ireland v England at Lord's, July 2019
42 - New Zealand v Australia in Wellington, March 1946
42 - Australia v England in Sydney, Feb. 1888
A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
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Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.