Imran Khan, centre, the captain of Pakistan, finally claimed the World Cup in Melbourne in 1992.
Imran Khan, centre, the captain of Pakistan, finally claimed the World Cup in Melbourne in 1992.

A tricky issue of when to call it quits



It is probably no exaggeration to say that fans are more obsessed with the perfect ending than athletes.

When sport is the centre of your universe and the only life you have known, it can be a wrench to walk away.

Bill Shankly, the legendary Liverpool manager, said it best about the day he offered his resignation after 15 years in charge.

"It was like walking to the electric chair," he said.

Very few sportsmen have picked the perfect moment.

The temptation, as Greg Chappell, the former Australian batting great, once said, is to play one game too many rather than one too few.

Chappell scored a wonderful hundred in his final Test, but not everyone has been as lucky.

Of the modern-day greats, no one chose his last lines quite like Pakistan's Imran Khan.

When the subcontinent first hosted the World Cup in 1987, his bravura performance in the semi-final (three for 36 and 58) was not enough to deny Craig McDermott and Australia.

A devastated Imran listened to The Rolling Stones' You Can't Always Get What You Want and went into retirement.

Only presidential intervention brought him back and on his return, he spearheaded a campaign against the mighty West Indies, nearly beating them in the Caribbean in 1988/89.

But the eyes were firmly set on the big prize, the one that had been denied him in Lahore.

At the Melbourne Cricket Ground in March 1992, he claimed it, scoring 72 and taking the final wicket against England as Pakistan overcame a disastrous start to their World Cup with cornered-tiger tenacity.

Sunil Gavaskar, his one-time rival, was not so fortunate. He played his final Test against Imran and Pakistan in 1987, but one of his finest innings - a peerless 96 on a turning wicket in Bangalore - could not stave off a 16-run defeat that gave the visitors a first series win on Indian soil.

Six months later, and a day after Imran's heart-break in Lahore, England's Phil DeFreitas bowled Gavaskar for four in his final one-day innings.

India would lose by 35 runs, and that was that. He had made a 85-ball century in the previous game against New Zealand, but there was no fairy tale ending in front of his home crowd at the Wankhede Stadium.

Mumbai's premier venue, just off Marine Drive, is also Sachin Tendulkar's stomping ground, and the final on Saturday will almost certainly be his last in India's limited-overs colours.

For several years now, Tendulkar has focused most of his attention on the Test arena, severely rationing his one-day appearances.

After a dismal 2007 World Cup, this was the limited-overs ending that he has craved.

The desire to leave nothing to chance has been palpable right through this competition.

Against England and South Africa, the toughest opponents in India's group, he made sublime hundreds, and the subsequent victories against Australia and Pakistan have both been underpinned by his half-centuries.

Muttiah Muralitharan's is an incredible a story. At times during this World Cup, he has resembled a patched-up doll, bandages here and strapping there.

There is not the bite off the pitch that there once was, but he is still good enough to bamboozle some of the world's best, and the childlike delight when it happens is something to savour.

Tomorrow marks Murali's last game in Sri Lanka colours, while Tendulkar at least has some Test cricket to look forward to.

Between them, they have 76 years and a staggering 801 one-day international caps. One of them, Murali, already has a World Cup winners' medal and is struggling with a hamstring injury. The other craves his Cinderella moment.

There are few things as heartwarming in sport as a weather-beaten veteran leaving on a high.

Dino Zoff of Juventus and Italy fame once went 1,142 minutes in international football without conceding a goal.

But Italy got nowhere in the 1974 World Cup and his 1978 tournament was ruined by Arie Haan's thunderbolt from 40 yards in a game against Holland that was a semi-final in all but name.

Zoff was 40 when an unfancied Italian side went to Spain in 1982, but he conceded only six goals in seven matches as the Azzurri overcame a poor start to win the competition. John Elway, the Denver Broncos' quarterback for a remarkable 16 seasons, had lost three Super Bowls in his prime, leading some to question his big-game calibre.

At the age of 37, a beat-up Elway led the team back to the summit clash.

He had a wretched game, throwing an interception and completing just 11 of 22 passes. But it didn't matter. The Broncos won.

A year later, his body as patched-up as Murali's is these days, he returned for one more tilt at glory. This time, he was the Most Valuable Player as the Broncos won again.

Good things do come to those that wait.

A%20QUIET%20PLACE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Lupita%20Nyong'o%2C%20Joseph%20Quinn%2C%20Djimon%20Hounsou%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMichael%20Sarnoski%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
'My Son'

Director: Christian Carion

Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis

Rating: 2/5

Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENamara%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJune%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMohammed%20Alnamara%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMicrofinance%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E16%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeries%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFamily%20offices%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
What is the FNC?

The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning. 
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval. 
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
 

Rashid & Rajab

Director: Mohammed Saeed Harib

Stars: Shadi Alfons,  Marwan Abdullah, Doaa Mostafa Ragab 

Two stars out of five 

Brief scores:

Manchester City 3

Aguero 1', 44', 61'

Arsenal ​​​​​1

Koscielny 11'

Man of the match: Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)

Mission%3A%20Impossible%20-%20Dead%20Reckoning%20Part%20One
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Christopher%20McQuarrie%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Tom%20Cruise%2C%20Hayley%20Atwell%2C%20Pom%20Klementieff%2C%20Simon%20Pegg%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Who are the Soroptimists?

The first Soroptimists club was founded in Oakland, California in 1921. The name comes from the Latin word soror which means sister, combined with optima, meaning the best.

The organisation said its name is best interpreted as ‘the best for women’.

Since then the group has grown exponentially around the world and is officially affiliated with the United Nations. The organisation also counts Queen Mathilde of Belgium among its ranks.

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Jigra
Director: Vasan Bala
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Rated: 3.5/5
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23

UAE fixtures:
Men

Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final

Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final