West Indies can spring surprises

The West Indian cricket team is capable of springing surprises, a reader says. Other topics: road safety, travel, ski slopes

West Indies can sometimes spring a surprise, a reader says. Rafiq Maqbool / AP Photo

The West Indies cricket team may not have produced top class cricket since the exit of players such as Brian Lara and Richie Richardson, but it has on occasions produced surprise results.

Winning the T20 a few years ago, Chris Gayle holding the record for the best Test chase and Lara’s unbeaten test knock of over 400 were memorable indeed.

But nothing beats the victory against India, and the simultaneous thrust into the final by its female compatriots – a surprise double whammy that even the most ardent sceptic could not have conjured.

Legends such as Sir Garfield Sobers, Curtley Ambrose, Desmond Haynes and countless heroes of the invincible team of the sixties and seventies will laud these efforts.

KB Rahiman, South Africa

No alternative West Indies can spring surprises

I agree that the diverse population of this country brings with it different standards and norms in many things, which is part of what makes this place so special (A clear road out of confusion, March 31). On the roads, however, it does create conditions that are exacerbated by bad driving habits.

In other parts of the world, vehicles above a certain weight – lorries and buses, for instance – are restricted to the far-right lane.

Commercial lorries above certain weights are also restricted from city streets and highways as an additional safety measure. They are only allowed on others outside peak hours – usually between 8pm and 6am.

Signs and training encourage slower drivers to keep right, as well as to move to accommodate the flow of traffic. If slower traffic is kept to the right lanes, we would eliminate conditions for unnecessary lane changes, a primary cause of accidents.

Not only should punitive measures hit the pocketbook, they should bring the threat of licence suspension, car seizure and, yes, jail time. Risking the lives of others on the road should bring with it criminal liability, which is the only possible motivation for some reckless drivers to reconsider their behaviour behind the wheel.

Elan Fabbri, Dubai

Don’t put off your travel plan

I enjoyed Justin Thomas's opinion article Sadly, travel is becoming the purview of the intrepid (March 28). There will always be something going on in the world. Life is too short to be scared of those events and put off your travel plans. I think one just has to be cautious while travelling and exploring our beautiful planet.

Haneefa Corbie, Abu Dhabi

Time heals all wounds. My partner and I were lucky enough to travel widely in Syria in August 2010. We were awestruck to see Palmyra against the setting sun. We will return there one day.

Tim Davison, Abu Dhabi

Do we need a ski slope here?

I know a lot of people who go to Dubai just to ski (Al Maryah Central super mall 'will thrive without a ski slope', April 1). I do not go because it's a long drive on a busy road. But if there was one in Abu Dhabi, I would certainly go there. And I am not alone in this.

So how is Kevin Ryan of Gulf Related, the company building Abu Dhabi’s Al Maryah Central shopping centre, so sure that a ski slope is not needed in Abu Dhabi?

Emma Easter, Abu Dhabi

The new Reem Mall is supposed to have a ski slope, so having free parks and a library seems far better.

Samantha Attfield, Abu Dhabi

I love Abu Dhabi more than anywhere else, but malls here are a problem. There are too many of them here and some are 60 per cent to 80 per cent empty, because visitors are so fragmented among the various options.

It’s sad for visitors and not viable for tenants.

Gianmaria Vidale, Abu Dhabi