Bumble's Blog: England's must-win Test win in Sharjah is a big draw
But for now boats, markets and golf fit the bill until play begins...
Sunday 1 November 2015 14:03, UK
People often ask what we get up to on our days off - aside from buying boats, of course...
Well, I'm staying right by the Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club in a hotel that has a par-three Academy course and practice area so I've spent a bit of time hitting some balls.
Beefy, Warney, Kapil Dev and I played in an 'Icons of Cricket' golf day earlier in the week. Beefy and I were supposed to be part of a four-ball but oddly the other two blokes didn't turn up… bit harsh!
Live Test Cricket
It's not long now until the Race to Dubai reaches its climax here when the 50 best golfers in the world play in the World Tour Championship.
We'll be getting towards the end of the one-day series by that point but I'm hoping to find a bit of time to go along and watch - it's an absolute must-see.
Bartering
Athers and I went down to the market yesterday; Athers is right into his cooking so he got lots of authentic spices.
The atmosphere is absolutely brilliant with people going about their business, trying their utmost to drag you in and sell you their wares.
After a bit of bartering I ended up buying a watch which I've decided is most definitely a fake - one trip to the gym later the face has already steamed up!
A pal of mine also bartered for a watch but asked for a glass of water as he did so; when it arrived he promptly dropped the watch in it because the bloke had told him it was waterproof. It turned out it wasn't!
In another mishap Athers was sending his latest piece back to The Times and his glasses literally fell apart, leaving him with one lens.
He looked like he was wearing a monocle, just like Fred Emney used to! If you're too young to remember Fred, look him up… He was a comedian back in the day.
Excited
This week's Accrington Stanley news is fantastic. If you missed it, we've got a new seven-figure investment from a local businessman which clears the club's debt.
Andy Holt is a local fella and a brilliant bloke who employs 250 people in Accrington so it's a really good story for us.
Boss John Coleman and his assistant Jimmy Bell have got a great bunch of lads together so we're all really excited about the future but it's also feet-on-the-floor time because there's a lot to do.
Exhibitions
Which brings me to the cricket. It's well documented that Pakistan have got the UAE stitched up. Their two premier batsman, the experienced Younus Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq have given exhibitions of how to play in these conditions.
Joe Root has been outstanding and England have had some good performances but have found it difficult at times and, not to go over old ground too much, if you lose a session you probably lose the Test.
There have been mitigating circumstances for Adil Rashid in particular - we really need to win a toss and get runs on the board for him to be fully effective.
It was good to see Shane Warne at the ground this week talking to Rashid and Yasir Shah; Warney is very protective of his 'leg-spinner's club'!
Athers watched while Warne bowled in the middle to Jonny Bairstow and said that he did so absolutely beautifully. That must have been a great thrill for Jonny to keep wicket to Warney.
With Mark Wood out injured it looks as though there will probably be an opportunity in this Test for Liam Plunkett, although the selectors might make a move for Samit Patel who is a flipping good cricketer.
Plunkett would be a good call; he's a bit taller than Mark Wood and just as quick, plus he gives England another batting option as they attempt to level this series.
Live coverage of the third Test between Pakistan and England starts at 5.30am, Sunday, Sky Sports 2. You can also watch without a contract on NOW TV.
