MELBOURNE // Australia captain Ricky Ponting appeared untroubled by his broken finger when he batted in the nets at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday ahead of the fourth Ashes test against England.
Ponting, who injured the little finger on his left hand when attempting a catch in the third test in Perth, practised against a bowling machine indoors then went outside to face a raft of different bowlers on a sunny morning in Melbourne.
"He said it felt pretty good after facing some balls on the machines and facing some bowlers," vice captain Michael Clarke told reporters after the training session.
"Obviously we're all very hopeful and pretty confident that, unless they cut his finger off, it's going to be really hard to leave Punter (Ponting) out.
"I think he's going to have to wait until tomorrow and see how it pulls up after having a bat today, but he's pretty happy about how things went."
Clarke said Ponting would forfeit his usual spot in the slips and play either mid-on or mid-off should he be deemed fit to play in the test starting on Sunday.
"As long as you're pretty close to seeing the line which the bowlers are bowling, it's probably better for the bowlers that (he's) there to be able to talk to them as well."
After losing the second test in Adelaide, Australia levelled the five-test series with an emphatic 267-run win in the fourth test in Perth.
Holders England need only to draw the series to be the first since Mike Gatting's in 1986/87 to take the Ashes home from Australia.
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
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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.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
LOVE%20AGAIN
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if you go
The flights
The closest international airport to the TMB trail is Geneva (just over an hour’s drive from the French ski town of Chamonix where most people start and end the walk). Direct flights from the UAE to Geneva are available with Etihad and Emirates from about Dh2,790 including taxes.
The trek
The Tour du Mont Blanc takes about 10 to 14 days to complete if walked in its entirety, but by using the services of a tour operator such as Raw Travel, a shorter “highlights” version allows you to complete the best of the route in a week, from Dh6,750 per person. The trails are blocked by snow from about late October to early May. Most people walk in July and August, but be warned that trails are often uncomfortably busy at this time and it can be very hot. The prime months are June and September.
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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More on Turkey's Syria offence
Company%20Profile
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The Lowdown
Kesari
Rating: 2.5/5 stars
Produced by: Dharma Productions, Azure Entertainment
Directed by: Anubhav Singh
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Parineeti Chopra
Brief scoreline:
Manchester United 0
Manchester City 2
Bernardo Silva 54', Sane 66'
The%20Mandalorian%20season%203%20episode%201
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERick%20Famuyiwa%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPedro%20Pascal%20and%20Katee%20Sackhoff%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Batti Gul Meter Chalu
Producers: KRTI Productions, T-Series
Director: Sree Narayan Singh
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Divyenndu Sharma, Yami Gautam
Rating: 2/5