24 WHAT’S ON january 2012

Who says Test cricket is boring? Not us, that’s for sure. Since England last met

Pakistan in the now-infamous home Test series of 2010, Andrew Strauss’ boys have gone on to become superstars and the team crowned the best in the world, while Pakistan have had to rebuild a�er being embroiled in the betting scandal that besmirched that 2010 series.

Having been banned from playing in Pakistan, due to security concerns, a lot is riding on the three �ve-day ‘home’ Test matches to be played here in the UAE this month. Is this England side the real deal? Can Pakistan turn the chapter on a dark period in their history? Both of these questions will be answered this month, and What’s On will be there for every ball. We suggest you are, too.

Cricket, above all sports, has its own language. here’ s a breakdown of some of the more basic terms

WICKet – the three poles stuck in the ground at either end of the 22-yard grass strip with two small sticks (known as bails) placed on top. When a batsman is adjudged ‘out’ by the ‘umpire’ (the man in a long white coat standing at

As world number one team, England, takes on a troubled Pakistan side in the UAE, we pick the players to look out for and elucidate some of the weird and wonderful cricket terminology

GLOSSARY

Andrew Strauss

Alastair Cook

Stuart Broad

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january 2012 WHAT’S ON 25

the bowler’s end of the pitch acting like an umpire) he has loat his ‘wicket’

Out – When one of a side’s 11 batsman loses his ‘wicket’ or is dismissed by the fielding side. There are a number of ways for a fielding side to get a batsman ‘out’, including caught, bowled and leg before wicket (LBW)

Caught – the batsman strikes the ball and before it hits the ground a member of the opposition fielding side catches it

BOWLed – the bowler bowls the ball and it hits the batsman’s wicket, knocking off the bails

LBW – the bowler bowls the ball, it pitches (hits the ground) in line with the wicket and then strikes the batsman’s pads without hitting his bat

Run – the batting team scores a run (point) by running between the wickets, four runs by striking the ball along the ground the to boundary or six runs by hitting in the air over the boundary

BOundaRy – the rope laid in an oval shape to denote the size of the playing area

OveR – a series of six balls bowled by a single bowler in sequence

InnIngs – One side’s turn to bat and score runs, completed when ten batsmen are out. each team has two innings in a test match

OnsIde/LegsIde – the half of the field on the same side as the batsman’s legs as he stands in the batting stance

OffsIde – the half of the field away on the side of the batsman’s bat as he stands in the batting stance

Misbah-ul-haqAge: 37Speciality: BatsmanTeam: Pakistan

Misbah-ul-Haq has not had a glittering career, but it is certainly one that has flourished since he was controversially handed the Test side’s captaincy in 2010 after the disastrous tour of India. The cool-headed middle-order batsman has steadied a Pakistan team that risked implosion on a grand scale, leading the team to its first series win since 2007 in New Zealand in 2010 before securing another series victory against Sri Lanka right here in the UAE in 2011. When he is on-form, so are Pakistan.

andrew straussAge: 34Speciality: BatsmanTeam: England

It was quite a 2011 for the England captain. The opening batsman led his side to a comprehensive Ashes victory in Australia and followed that up by beating an India side packed with iconic players 4-0 to seize the honour of being the world’s top ranked Test side. In fact, under Strauss’ leadership, England are on such a roll that they have not lost a Test series since 2008.

alastair CookAge: 27Speciality: BatsmanTeam: England

Cook was a run-scoring machine in 2011. He hit a mammoth 766 runs in five Tests against Australia in the Ashes, cruising elegantly past 5,000 career runs – the second youngest player to do so after the great Sachin Tendulkar – before a knock of 294 in the third Test against India confirmed his world-class status and he was named Cricketer Of The Year in September. It’s not hard to see why the left-handed opening batsman has been given the captaincy of the 50-overs team.

stuart broadAge: 25Speciality: BowlerTeam: England

Rewind eight months and Stuart Broad couldn’t buy a wicket, and people, including certain members of the What’s On team who have since had to eat their hats, were calling for him to be dropped from the side. Then came the summer of 2011, and India. The often-hot-headed quick bowler blew the world’s number one team away, allowing England to take their title, and earning himself a Man Of The Series award. He brings some serious pace to the England attack and knows just how to rile the opposition.

uMar GulAge: 27Speciality: BowlerTeam: Pakistan

Make no mistakes about it, Gul is rapid – a demon with the ball in his hand, able to make even the best batsmen hop about a bit. Had it not been for a career plagued with injury, he had the potential to be the next big name Pakistani fast bowler – a new Wasim Akram or Waqar Younis. So here’s hoping he stays fit and healthy for the England series. More than any other Pakistan player, the UAE is a home-away-from home for Gul, as he first met his wife in Dubai.

Younus khanAge: 34Speciality: BatsmanTeam: Pakistan

As a high-scoring no-nonsense batsman, and one of the best players of spin in the world (a challenge for England’s Graeme Swann, the highest ranked spin bowler in the world), plus an excellent fielder, Khan’s reputation precedes him. He also seems to have taken a liking to the UAE, having previously hit test hundreds here against the West Indies, South Africa and at the end of last year against Sri Lanka. England beware.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Misbah-ul-Haq

Umar Gul

Younus Khan

Test 1, Jan 17 to 21, Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai, 10am to 6pm. Tel: (04) 4251111. dubaisportscity.ae. Test 2, Jan 25 to 29, Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi, 10am to 6pm. Tel: (02) 5588331.Test 3, Feb 3 to 7, Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai, 10am to 6pm. Tel: (04) 4251111. dubaisportscity.ae

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