Sennacherib

Sennacherib (/səˈnækərɪb/; Akkadian: Sîn-ahhī-erība, "Sîn has increased the brothers"), king of Assyria 705 BCE–681 BCE, is remembered for his military campaigns against Babylon and Judah and for his building programs, notably at his capital, Nineveh.

The primary preoccupation of Sennacherib's reign was the so-called "Babylonian problem", the refusal of the Babylonians to accept Assyrian rule, culminating in his destruction of the city in 689 BCE. Further campaigns were carried out in Syria (notable for being recorded in the Bible's Books of Kings, in the mountains east of Assyria, against the kingdoms of Anatolia and against the Arabs in the northern Arabian deserts.

Sennacherib was also a notable builder: it was under him that Assyrian art reached its peak. His building projects included the beautification of Nineveh, a canal 50 km long to bring water to the city, and the "Palace Without Rival", which included what may have been the prototype of the legendary Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

Faf du Plessis

Francois "Faf" du Plessis (/ˈduːplɛˌsi/ DOO-ple-SEE; born 13 July 1984) is a South African cricketer and current T20I side captain.

He has played several matches at international level for the South African national cricket team. A right-handed middle order batsman who moved up to number 3 and also bowls part-time leg spin, du Plessis has played South African domestic cricket for Northerns and the Titans, as well as matches for Lancashire, the Chennai Super Kings, and the Melbourne Renegades.

He made his Test debut in November 2012, he became the fourth South African to score a Test century on debut. du Plessis was subsequently also named T20 captain of South Africa for the following Twenty20 series against New Zealand and confirmed full-time skipper in Feb 2013.

Domestic career

du Plessis was given a 6-month contract with Lancashire for the 2008 season starting in April as a Kolpak player after impressing the board with good performances in the local Nottinghamshire leagues for Mansfield Hosiery Mills Cricket Club and in the Lancashire League for Todmorden. Du Plessis started his Lancashire account by scoring 55 against Durham UCCE before being dismissed by opening bowler Foster. Following his six-month stint with Lancashire, du Plessis signed a new three-year deal with the club. Lancashire coach Mike Watkinson praised du Plessis' fielding, saying "if there's a better fielder in county cricket I've not seen him this season". In March 2010, it was announced that du Plessis would no longer be allowed to play for Lancashire as a Kolpak player after changes to the Kolpak rules. In 2011, he was signed by the 2010 IPL Champions Chennai Super Kings for US$120,000 at the Indian Premier League player auction.

Lord Byron

George Gordon Byron (later Noel), 6th Baron Byron, FRS (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), commonly known simply as Lord Byron, was an English poet and a leading figure in the Romantic movement. Among Byron's best-known works are the lengthy narrative poems Don Juan and Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, and the short lyric "She Walks in Beauty".

Byron is regarded as one of the greatest British poets, and remains widely read and influential. He travelled widely across Europe, especially in Italy where he lived for seven years. Later in life, Byron joined the Greek War of Independence fighting the Ottoman Empire, for which many Greeks revere him as a national hero. He died one year later at age 36 from a fever contracted while in Missolonghi. Often described as the most flamboyant and notorious of the major Romantics, Byron was both celebrated and castigated in life for his aristocratic excesses, including huge debts, numerous love affairs with men as well as women, rumours of a scandalous liaison with his half-sister, and self-imposed exile.