The UAE proved that life goes on without their inspirational former captain Khurram Khan after beating Kenya by five wickets in the first of their World Cricket League Championship double-header in England on Thursday.
Amjad Ali top-scored with 49 with Mohammed Shahzad hitting the winning runs with a boundary for a score of 27 as Aaqib Javed’s men rattled off 173 for five in 41.4 overs. Kenya posted 171 in 40.5 overs after being sent into bat by Mohammed Tauqir and his bowlers rewarded their captain’s faith, with Mohammed Naveed and Manjula Guruge taking seven wickets between them.
All-rounder Khurram announced his retirement earlier this month after the UAE’s Intercontinental Cup defeat to Ireland by an innings and 26 runs, but the national team bounced back with a convincing win in the 50-over match at the Rose Bowl in Southampton. The second match takes place on Saturday at the same venue.
Ashes warm-up
Elsewhere, Chris Rogers turned attention back to his cricket, rather than his business interests, with an unbeaten fifty on the first morning of Australia’s Ashes tour opener against Kent in Canterbury.
Australia, having been sent into bat by Kent, were 108 without loss at lunch at the St Lawrence Ground on the first day of this scheduled four-day clash.
Rogers was 53 not out and Shaun Marsh, a rival for an opening spot alongside David Warner when the first Test against England begins on July 8, was unbeaten on 45.
Left-handed opener Rogers found himself having to apologise on Wednesday after he unwittingly contravened ground regulations by trying to re-sell tickets for next month’s second Test at Lord’s as part of a hospitality package.
Australia, led by Test captain Michael Clarke, rested Warner from this match, with the bowling attack featuring experienced pacemen Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle, plus leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed.
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Low turnout
Two months before the first round on April 10, the appetite of voters for the election is low.
Mathieu Gallard, account manager with Ipsos, which conducted the most recent poll, said current forecasts suggested only two-thirds were "very likely" to vote in the first round, compared with a 78 per cent turnout in the 2017 presidential elections.
"It depends on how interesting the campaign is on their main concerns," he told The National. "Just now, it's hard to say who, between Macron and the candidates of the right, would be most affected by a low turnout."
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The biog
Favourite book: Animal Farm by George Orwell
Favourite music: Classical
Hobbies: Reading and writing
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
PROFILE BOX:
Company/date started: 2015
Founder/CEO: Rami Salman, Rishav Jalan, Ayush Chordia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Technology, Sales, Voice, Artificial Intelligence
Size: (employees/revenue) 10/ 100,000 downloads
Stage: 1 ($800,000)
Investors: Eight first-round investors including, Beco Capital, 500 Startups, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Hala Fadel, Odin Financial Services, Dubai Angel Investors, Womena, Arzan VC
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Various%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rosario%20Dawson%2C%20Natasha%20Liu%20Bordizzo%2C%20Lars%20Mikkelsen%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Bio
Age: 25
Town: Al Diqdaqah – Ras Al Khaimah
Education: Bachelors degree in mechanical engineering
Favourite colour: White
Favourite place in the UAE: Downtown Dubai
Favourite book: A Life in Administration by Ghazi Al Gosaibi.
First owned baking book: How to Be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson.
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
First-round leaderbaord
-5 C Conners (Can)
-3 B Koepka (US), K Bradley (US), V Hovland (Nor), A Wise (US), S Horsfield (Eng), C Davis (Aus);
-2 C Morikawa (US), M Laird (Sco), C Tringale (US)
Selected others: -1 P Casey (Eng), R Fowler (US), T Hatton (Eng)
Level B DeChambeau (US), J Rose (Eng)
1 L Westwood (Eng), J Spieth (US)
3 R McIlroy (NI)
4 D Johnson (US)
MATCH INFO
Tottenham Hotspur 1
Kane (50')
Newcastle United 0
