When Michael Clarke was awarded his own bright yellow motorbike in Bangalore five years ago, Australia knew they had found the man to help drive the next generation forward.
Even then, Clarke - who was known to his teammates as "Pup" because of his youthful looks - was being groomed as the country's next captain.
While the 151 he hit against India remains his highest Test match score of his career to date, Clarke has progressed beyond all expectation since arriving on the international stage.
His performances in the 2006-07 Ashes only confirmed his status as a big player in the making and his rapid progress over the past two years have elevated him to No 3 in the Test match world rankings.
That he will likely finish this Ashes series as the leading run-scorer ahead of the likes of captain Ricky Ponting and the more experienced Michael Hussey is a testament to Clarke's desire to remain at the very peak of his powers.
A third consecutive Test match hundred beckoned yesterday before Graham Onions struck to leave the world's most in-form batsman an agonising seven runs short of what would have been yet another fine century.
While England's top order have struggled to find any real rhythm throughout the series, Clarke has played beautifully and with such elegance that he has easily outshone his peers.
Not only is it his ability to attack and take a bowler out the firing line that impresses, but his determination to fight for the cause and remain resolute throughout. His innings of 136 during the second Test at Lord's proved Clarke has the mental strength to succeed at the very highest level - something of which England's middle order should take note.
Despite the cause being all but lost, Clarke remained defiant, a captain's like knock while those around him fell meekly to an Andrew Flintoff-inspired England.
Ironically, it is his effort of 93 and not his two centuries which will probably help Australia to deservedly level the series at Headingley.
Certainly Clarke's form has breathed confidence into those around him in the middle-order with Marcus North the chief beneficiary.
Despite having played only two Test matches before arriving in England, North has looked every inch an international cricketer.
So cruelly robbed of a century at Edgbaston, he responded by bringing up his second ton of the series in swashbuckling style by smashing Graeme Swann for six.
Clarke and North's stand of 152 all but sealed England's fate yesterday as the duo took full advantage of some largely comical bowling.
North, who put on 152 with his vice captain for the fifth wicket, will surely become an integral part of the Australia for years to come.
Suddenly, Australia have a middle order which looks solid and intimidating - something which cannot be said of their opponents in this series.
And in Clarke they have a man primed and ready to lead the next generation into battle and yet another era of Australian dominance.
@Email:sports@thenational.ae
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
ENGLAND SQUAD
Joe Root (c), Moeen Ali, Jimmy Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Sam Curran, Keaton Jennings, Ollie Pope, Adil Rashid, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Haltia.ai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202023%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Arto%20Bendiken%20and%20Talal%20Thabet%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20AI%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2041%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20About%20%241.7%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Self%2C%20family%20and%20friends%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
BACK%20TO%20ALEXANDRIA
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETamer%20Ruggli%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENadine%20Labaki%2C%20Fanny%20Ardant%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
