Speculation since last night that the former Pakistan cricket captain Shoaib Malik is set to wed the Indian tennis player Sania Mirza has been confirmed by both parties, though details of the wedding have yet to be announced.
The duo have reportedly decided to move to Dubai after the marriage which is expected to be in the second week of April.
Asked for his reaction in the event of Miss Mirza achieving glory at international events such as the Olympics, Mr Malik said: "If Sania wins a gold medal at the 2012 Olympics or the Asian Games, I will be the proudest husband in the world."
Mr Malik is believed to have tweeted this morning confirming the news, but Miss Mirza's father Imran telephoned a reporter to say the tweet was not from Mr Malik himself, who is currently playing in a local Twenty20 tournament in Sharjah.
The final stages of the relationship are believed to have materialised when Mr Malik was in Dubai to play two T20 games against England in a stop-gap capacity as captain while Miss Mirza was also playing in the Dubai Tennis Open.
Mr Malik has a troubled connection with the Indian city of Hyderabad from where Miss Mirza comes. He was involved in a controversy in 2008 when a lady called Ayesha Siddiqui surfaced claiming Mr Malik married her via internet in 2002. Mr Malik first denied the claim but later settled the matter out of court.
Sania Mirza, 23, too was engaged to a childhood friend Sohrab Mirza six months back but called off the engagement recently citing incompatibility.
Incidentally, a Pakistan channel that first reported the matters said that the two have been in a relationship during the last six months until Mr Malik's mother went to Hyderabad with the marriage proposal this week.
The family of the bride-to-be has already applied for visas to visit Pakistan.
kshyam@thenational.ae
WORLD RECORD FEES FOR GOALKEEPERS
1) Kepa Arrizabalaga, Athletic Bilbao to Chelsea (£72m)
2) Alisson, Roma to Liverpool (£67m)
3) Ederson, Benfica to Manchester City (£35m)
4) Gianluigi Buffon, Parma to Juventus (£33m)
5) Angelo Peruzzi, Inter Milan to Lazio (£15.7m
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The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Wenger's Arsenal reign in numbers
1,228 - games at the helm, ahead of Sunday's Premier League fixture against West Ham United.
704 - wins to date as Arsenal manager.
3 - Premier League title wins, the last during an unbeaten Invincibles campaign of 2003/04.
1,549 - goals scored in Premier League matches by Wenger's teams.
10 - major trophies won.
473 - Premier League victories.
7 - FA Cup triumphs, with three of those having come the last four seasons.
151 - Premier League losses.
21 - full seasons in charge.
49 - games unbeaten in the Premier League from May 2003 to October 2004.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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EA%20Sports%20FC%2024
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MATCH INFO
Red Star Belgrade v Tottenham Hotspur, midnight (Thursday), UAE
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES
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Friday’s fixture
6.15pm: Al Wahda v Hatta
6.15pm: Al Dhafra v Ajman
9pm: Al Wasl v Baniyas
9pm: Fujairah v Sharjah
.
UAE Premiership
Results
Dubai Exiles 24-28 Jebel Ali Dragons
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 43-27 Dubai Hurricanes
Fixture
Friday, March 29, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Jebel Ali Dragons, The Sevens, Dubai
Brief scoreline:
Liverpool 5
Keita 1', Mane 23', 66', Salah 45' 1, 83'
Huddersfield 0
Hili 2: Unesco World Heritage site
The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.
Scoreline:
Barcelona 2
Suarez 85', Messi 86'
Atletico Madrid 0
Red card: Diego Costa 28' (Atletico)
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Kill%20
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Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh