The glacial pace of negotiations between Pakistan and India over resuming cricket ties has taken a significant step forward with the announcement of a forthcoming visit to India by Zaka Ashraf, the Pakistan cricket chief.
Ashraf took over as chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) last month and has made the resumption of bilateral ties with India - on hold since November 2008 - one of his priorities.
"I have high hopes of reviving ties with India," he said during the third ODI between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Dubai. "I have received a positive reply from India today and hope to tour them next month."
India cut off ties with Pakistan in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks in late 2008, which they blamed on Pakistan-based militants. A recent political thaw between the two countries - including improved economic ties - and the replacement of the former PCB chairman Ijaz Butt has added new urgency to matters.
Ashraf hopes to meet Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief N Srinivasan in Chennai during the first week of December.
"I have high hopes of a positive meeting and when we can have sporting events like kabbadi and blind cricket with India, why not top-level cricket, which is already regarded as the most-sought-after series in the game," Ashraf said.
Though the PCB has made repeated efforts to break the impasse, the BCCI's response has been ambiguous. As per international cricket's Future Tours Programme, the two are scheduled to play a full series in March next year but a hectic schedule for both means the prospect remains unlikely - for now, at least.
Until the last series between the two - when Pakistan toured India in 2007-08 - matches had become regular for a brief period; that series was the fourth since 2003-04. Additionally, they played a bilateral ODI series in Abu Dhabi in 2006 and India toured Pakistan for the Asia Cup in 2008.
Ashraf also met MK Lokesh, the India ambassador to the UAE, during the match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
"India playing Pakistan is the highlight of international cricket, and in the recent positive atmosphere between the two countries it is conducive to play cricket, and I will convey this to New Delhi," said Lokesh.
"Cricket is in the blood of people in both the countries and it can be used as soft diplomacy as it has in the past and relationship has improved in the past as well through cricket."
Jameel Khan, Pakistan's ambassador to the UAE, also welcomed the developments.
"People from both India and Pakistan want to see the teams play, and if the venue is UAE we are more than keen to host the matches," said Khan.
"It is the most followed series in the world and people should not be deprived of it."
osamiuddin@thenational.ae
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
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Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
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bundesliga results
Mainz 0 Augsburg 1 (Niederlechner 1')
Schalke 1 (Caligiuri pen 51') Bayer Leverkusen 1 (Miranda og 81')
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
The past Palme d'Or winners
2018 Shoplifters, Hirokazu Kore-eda
2017 The Square, Ruben Ostlund
2016 I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach
2015 Dheepan, Jacques Audiard
2014 Winter Sleep (Kış Uykusu), Nuri Bilge Ceylan
2013 Blue is the Warmest Colour (La Vie d'Adèle: Chapitres 1 et 2), Abdellatif Kechiche, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux
2012 Amour, Michael Haneke
2011 The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick
2010 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Lung Bunmi Raluek Chat), Apichatpong Weerasethakul
2009 The White Ribbon (Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte), Michael Haneke
2008 The Class (Entre les murs), Laurent Cantet
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In the Restaurant: Society in Four Courses
Christoph Ribbat
Translated by Jamie Searle Romanelli
Pushkin Press
Napoleon
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Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
Keep it fun and engaging
Stuart Ritchie, director of wealth advice at AES International, says children cannot learn something overnight, so it helps to have a fun routine that keeps them engaged and interested.
“I explain to my daughter that the money I draw from an ATM or the money on my bank card doesn’t just magically appear – it’s money I have earned from my job. I show her how this works by giving her little chores around the house so she can earn pocket money,” says Mr Ritchie.
His daughter is allowed to spend half of her pocket money, while the other half goes into a bank account. When this money hits a certain milestone, Mr Ritchie rewards his daughter with a small lump sum.
He also recommends books that teach the importance of money management for children, such as The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelman and Jean Edelman.
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The five pillars of Islam