Speed thrills at dawn

The next Pakistan-South Africa Test is four days away but it’s already causing a few headaches. Specifically for the broadcast team, who will commute daily between their hotel in Dubai and the stadium in Abu Dhabi, a trip that’s 80 km each way. Distance is one problem, as the commentator Mike Haysman noted in his blog on supercricket.com: since they need to get to the ground two hours before the start of play, they will need to leave their hotel at 5:30am to beat the rush hour. Ergo, a wake-up call at 4:15am (it takes time for them to look good, in case you’re wondering). That’s not all: the E 11 highway that runs between Dubai and Abu Dhabi is rumoured to be among the fastest (read: most dangerous) in the world. In 2008, the highway witnessed an accident that involved 200 cars, and killed three people, injuring 277. The speed limits have since been reduced to 120km/h. The commentators would probably feel safer padding up to Dale Steyn or Umar Gul.