who plays treasure on empire
2025-01-08   

The best thing about Australia’s fightback win over India in Adelaide is that it was in just the second Test of five. There is still so much cricket to come, so many ways this could play out. Credit where credit is rarely given to those who pushed for five Tests between these teams. It’s a latter-day rarity, but it’s put the serious back into series. One Test is by definition not a series. Two usually feels unfinished, 1-1, or a win and a draw, crying out for another match. Three is a minimum. But even three can leave fans feeling short-changed. India’s Shubman Gill is bowled by Mitchell Starc in Adelaide. Credit: AP If this was a three-Test series, Steve Smith and Virat Kohli , for instance, would have only two more innings each. They’re both giants of these times, but at uncertain stages in their histories. Two more innings would prove little. Yes, Kohli made a hundred in Perth, but it was nearly the softest of his 30. Ditto Marnus Labuschagne: he’s made some runs, but needs more, which means more innings. There must be an allowance for accidents, like leg-side strangles, for instance. At the other end of the scale, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Nittish Kumar Reddy have made eye-catching first impressions, but even with one more match they would constitute only glimpses. Don’t be misled by the Jaiswal’s ducks; they’re an opener’s occupational hazard. There may come a time when we’ve seen too much of him, but it’s not yet. A four-Test series presents the same problem as two. It’s an even number, so is liable to end up unresolved. Five Tests, though, represent a gamut. A five-Test series in Australia means players have to negotiate a range of climates, circumstances and conditions, including a pink-ball game. A five-game series has – mostly – its own internal narrative of waxing and waning, thrust and parry, turns to follow twists. It poses questions and gives rise to intrigues. What will become of the Travis Head-Mohammed Siraj tete-a-tete ? They’ve patched it up for now, but there will be many more confrontations. Can Jasprit Bumrah keep it up for five Tests, and if not, what do India have in reserve? Will Nathan McSweeney survive the series, and if not, who comes next? It was fair enough to give him two Tests, but to date he’s done only enough to earn another. Will the ageing Australians hang together bodily? You might be able to bluff your way through two or three Tests, but not five. In a short series, there’s no tomorrow, and often that governs the tempo. The compression sometimes makes for good entertainment, of course. But in a five-Test series, there nearly always is a tomorrow, and that makes for a whole new set of delectable unknowns. And it creates leeway for interference from weather. Now that the Australia-India scoreline is 1-1, the Boxing Day Test will be live, and with luck the New Year’s Test in Sydney, too. They’re oddities in that they are cornerstone fixtures that usually come at the end. Too often in recent decades, they’ve been turned into postscripts. They hold up as occasions, but without the frisson when a trophy is on the line. In this five-Test series, whoever wins the third in Brisbane will have the lead, but not the chocolates. It won’t necessarily even have momentum, a much overrated factor in modern cricket. Professional cricket teams are much better than their forebears at putting the past behind them. Some of that is down to the rattling pace of the game now, leaving no time for brooding or dwelling. Setting aside five days for a Test match now is not a schedule, but an ambit claim. This informs the bigger picture of which this series forms a part. For decades, Test teams struggled to win away from home. And in its first two editions, the World Test Championship became pretty much a two-horse race. Mohammed Siraj and Travis Head exchange pleasantries in Adelaide. Credit: AP Suddenly, both verities have been upturned. In the last couple of months, New Zealand have swept a series in India and England, India and Bangladesh have won Tests away from home. As the troupe that is modern cricket moves around the world, familiarity has bred ... familiarisation. One outcome is that the Test championship table is breathlessly tight. India’s win in Perth propelled it to the top, but Australia with its reversal in Adelaide have assumed first place and nudged India down to third. Two days later, South Africa usurped Australia on top. England and Sri Lanka remain in the running. The final between the two top teams will be at Lord’s in June next year. The system is byzantine, but what it amounts to for Australia is that without a comprehensive win in this series, it will depend on beating a regathering Sri Lanka in two Tests in Galle next February. Sri Lanka will be dusting off their plans now. For Australia, that will make for a seat-of-the-pants ride. Philosophically, though, the moral is clear. Be it a match, a series or a championship, the drama is all the richer when it has time to grow. News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport are sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter .By LISA MASCARO and FARNOUSH AMIRI WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard faced fresh scrutiny Monday on Capitol Hill about her proximity to Russian-ally Syria amid the sudden collapse of that country’s hardline Assad rule. Gabbard ignored shouted questions about her 2017 visit to war-torn Syria as she ducked into one of several private meetings with senators who are being asked to confirm Trump’s unusual nominees . Related Articles National Politics | Trump promises to end birthright citizenship: What is it and could he do it? National Politics | Trump has flip-flopped on abortion policy. His appointees may offer clues to what happens next National Politics | In promising to shake up Washington, Trump is in a class of his own National Politics | Election Day has long passed. In some states, legislatures are working to undermine the results National Politics | Trump taps his attorney Alina Habba to serve as counselor to the president But the Democrat-turned-Republican Army National Reserve lieutenant colonel delivered a statement in which she reiterated her support for Trump’s America First approach to national security and a more limited U.S. military footprint overseas. “I want to address the issue that’s in the headlines right now: I stand in full support and wholeheartedly agree with the statements that President Trump has made over these last few days with regards to the developments in Syria,” Gabbard said exiting a Senate meeting. The incoming president’s Cabinet and top administrative choices are dividing his Republican allies and drawing concern , if not full opposition, from Democrats and others. Not just Gabbard, but other Trump nominees including Pentagon pick Pete Hegseth, were back at the Capitol ahead of what is expected to be volatile confirmation hearings next year. The incoming president is working to put his team in place for an ambitious agenda of mass immigrant deportations, firing federal workers and rollbacks of U.S. support for Ukraine and NATO allies. “We’re going to sit down and visit, that’s what this is all about,” said Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., as he welcomed Gabbard into his office. Meanwhile, Defense Secretary pick Hegseth appeared to be picking up support from once-skeptical senators, the former Army National Guard major denying sexual misconduct allegations and pledging not to drink alcohol if he is confirmed. The president-elect’s choice to lead the FBI, Kash Patel , who has written extensively about locking up Trump’s foes and proposed dismantling the Federal Bureau of Investigation, launched his first visits with senators Monday. “I expect our Republican Senate is going to confirm all of President Trump’s nominees,” said Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., on social media. Despite widespread concern about the nominees’ qualifications and demeanors for the jobs that are among the highest positions in the U.S. government, Trump’s team is portraying the criticism against them as nothing more than political smears and innuendo. Showing that concern, nearly 100 former senior U.S. diplomats and intelligence and national security officials have urged Senate leaders to schedule closed-door hearings to allow for a full review of the government’s files on Gabbard. Trump’s allies have described the criticisms of Hegseth in particular as similar to those lodged against Brett Kavanaugh, the former president’s Supreme Court nominee who denied a sexual assault allegation and went on to be confirmed during Trump’s first term in office. Said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., about Hegseth: “Anonymous accusations are trying to destroy reputations again. We saw this with Kavanaugh. I won’t stand for it.” One widely watched Republican, Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, herself a former Army National Guard lieutenant colonel and sexual assault survivor who had been criticized by Trump allies for her cool reception to Hegseth, appeared more open to him after their follow-up meeting Monday. “I appreciate Pete Hegseth’s responsiveness and respect for the process,” Ernst said in a statement. Ernst said that following “encouraging conversations,” he had committed to selecting a senior official who will “prioritize and strengthen my work to prevent sexual assault within the ranks. As I support Pete through this process, I look forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources.” Ernst also had praise for Patel — “He shares my passion for shaking up federal agencies” — and for Gabbard. Once a rising Democratic star, Gabbard, who represented Hawaii in Congress, arrived a decade ago in Washington, her surfboard in tow, a new generation of potential leaders. She ran unsuccessfully for president in 2020. But Gabbard abruptly left the party and briefly became an independent before joining with Trump’s 2024 campaign as one of his enthusiasts, in large part over his disdain for U.S. involvement overseas and opposition to helping Ukraine battle Russia. Her visit to Syria to meet with then-President Bashar Assad around the time of Trump’s first inauguration during the country’s bloody civil war stunned her former colleagues and the Washington national security establishment. The U.S. had severed diplomatic relations with Syria. Her visit was seen by some as legitimizing a brutal leader who was accused of war crimes. Gabbard has defended the trip, saying it’s important to open dialogue, but critics hear in her commentary echoes of Russia-fueled talking points. Assad fled to Moscow over the weekend after Islamist rebels overtook Syria in a surprise attack, ending his family’s five decades of rule. She said her own views have been shaped by “my multiple deployments and seeing firsthand the cost of war and the threat of Islamist terrorism.” Gabbard said, “It’s one of the many reasons why I appreciate President Trump’s leadership and his election, where he is fully committed, as he has said over and over, to bring about an end to wars.” Last week, the nearly 100 former officials, who served in both Democratic and Republican administrations, said in the letter to Senate leaders they were “alarmed” by the choice of Gabbard to oversee all 18 U.S. intelligence agencies. They said her past actions “call into question her ability to deliver unbiased intelligence briefings to the President, Congress, and to the entire national security apparatus.” The Office of the Director of National Intelligence was created after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to coordinate the nation’s intelligence agencies and act as the president’s main intelligence adviser. Associated Press writer Stephen Groves contributed to this report.New $3 million grant at Montana State to support dozens of STEM teachers in rural, underserved areas of Montanawho plays treasure on empire 。

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Player 456 Seeks Revenge in SQUID GAME Season Two TrailerThousands of people are in the heart of Pakistan’s capital to demand the release of imprisoned former premier Imran Khan. He has been behind bars since August 2023 on charges that he and his supporters say are politically motivated. Authorities have deployed thousands of security personnel to seal off the city, suspended phone services, used tear gas and threatened to fire live rounds. It’s the second time in as many months that the government has shut down Islamabad and mobilized massive resources to contain Khan’s supporters. Here is what's behind the turmoil: Cricket legend Khan can mobilize huge rallies and whip crowds into a frenzy with his claim that he was ousted from power in a conspiracy hatched by the U.S. and his archrival, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Sharif and Washington deny it. Khan presents himself as an outsider victimized by the establishment. His opponents say he is a corrupt demagogue who incites violence. Although incarcerated on several charges, Khan has successfully used social media and even AI to communicate with people across Pakistan. And they turn out in droves, bringing cities to a standstill. Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi is leading the march, adding a dynamism that was missing from previous protests. She was held in a high-security prison on graft charges until a few weeks ago, when she was released on bail. Her presence in a convoy of vehicles, coupled with rare public addresses to adoring crowds, has been a huge factor in attracting supporters in her husband’s absence. The spiritual healer has been the driving force behind the latest protest, insisting that she lead it from the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Islamabad. Bibi is Khan’s third wife. The government alleged that she and Khan violated a law that says a woman must wait three months before marrying again. She was previously married to a man who claimed that they divorced in November 2017, less than three months before she married Khan. Bibi has said they divorced in August 2017. Her conviction and imprisonment outraged women and rights groups in Pakistan, broadening her appeal beyond Khan’s political base. Shelling. Threat of live fire. Beatings. None of these tactics are deterring Khan’s supporters. Authorities have tried to stop them from entering the capital and failed. On Tuesday, they closed in on Islamabad’s Red Zone, which houses key government buildings and is the stated destination for the rally. The Interior Ministry said that police can decide on the level of force needed to deal with protesters. Up to now, police have exercised restraint. The apparent shoot-on-sight order heightens the likelihood of casualties and raises the spectre of widespread violence. The unrest coincides with a visit from Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who is staying in the Red Zone. Pakistan and its capital are no strangers to upheaval and violence. But the last two pro-Khan rallies have seen a strong response from the government and an even stronger pushback from Khan’s political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. The economic cost each day of even partial lockdowns runs into hundreds of millions of dollars, losses that the cash-strapped country cannot afford. The government refuses to give into demands for Khan’s release because of his immense popularity and the threat he poses to the ruling elite. Khan’s supporters, meanwhile, pledge to do whatever it takes to get him out of prison and back into power, even if it means risking their lives.Snell, Dodgers reportedly agree to $182 million, 5-year contract

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