SHARJAH // For now, the World Cup dream will have to wait. The leading players of the national cricket team will be leading the other, less- glamorous side of their double-lives today.
The shopkeepers will be back keeping their stores. The flight catering staff will be packing lunch trays.
The bankers will be making sure that more important statistics than their bowling figures add up correctly.
While Afghanistan and Kenya do battle at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, the UAE players whose fate will be decided over the course of today and Friday will be hard at work. The proper work, the sort that puts bread on the table.
And at various points of the globe, too. For instance, Khurram Khan, the team captain, will be either headed to or coming home from the United States when the climax to the 2015 World Cup qualifying championship is played out.
Khurram has maintained an extraordinary level of performance over his decade or so with the national team, given that his day job sees him regularly crossing most of the world’s time zones as a matter of course.
The Pakistan-born captain is a flight purser for Emirates Airline. As such, while the action takes place in Sharjah, he will be on long-haul duty to Los Angeles.
“There won’t be any time to watch the game, but everybody will be online following what is happening in the games and keeping their fingers-crossed,” said Khurram, who is arguably the best player in the history of the sport here.
“I’m going to be on the way to Los Angeles, but I’ll be keeping in touch. The internet is going to be on, following it ball by ball.”
Khurram believes his side are the only fully amateur one left in a strata of the sport which is becoming increasingly professionalised.
He has a point.
The Ireland side who won this competition so convincingly are employed as full-time professional players.
The same goes for their other rivals for an automatic qualifying place, Afghanistan.
For all the obvious challenges the Afghan players face, having made such an unlikely rise from adversity, they all get to play cricket full-time.
Their stock has risen so markedly during their decade in international cricket that a number of them, such as Karim Sadiq and Asghar Stanikzai, are even employed to play as overseas players in the UAE’s corporate leagues.
Mohammed Nabi, their captain, actually turned down a contract to play here recently – he had played so much cricket of late, he was missing his family.
“It is only Ireland who have qualified so far and if you look at their players, they all play county cricket, they are all professional cricketers, almost everybody is on a contract,” Khurram said.
“I think it is a huge achievement, the boys coming from work and practicing here, putting their heart and soul into it and I think they have done wonderfully well.”
Ahmed Raza, the Sharjah-born vice-captain of the national team, will be back behind his desk at a bank in Bur Dubai this morning.
He has long hours to look forward to, an 8am to 9pm double-shift to make up for time owed to colleagues who have covered for him when he has had to miss work for cricket.
All the while, however, the personal banking officer by day and left-arm spinner by night will be staying abreast of what is going on in Sharjah, by surreptitious means.
“I will have [ESPN]cricinfo on my desktop and on my mobile as well,” Raza said.
“I am going to be following it from ball one to the end. On Friday, I will be free, but I still don’t think I will go to the ground to watch it. I will be too anxious to watch.
“If I was there, I would be wanting the Kenyans to do something different and I would be wanting to get out there and tell them, so I don’t think it would be such a good idea to go to the ground.”
Rohan Mustafa, the young all-rounder who performed a star turn in the recent wins over Namibia, is looking for a window in his sales job to get to the ground to watch.
“The Afghanistan and Kenya matches are very important for us,” Mustafa said. “Of course, I will come to the ground. I’ve been playing for the last six years and this is the biggest moment for the UAE team. Our heart is at the ground and we are praying Kenya will win. I believe it will be a very big achievement for the UAE to qualify for the World Cup directly.”
One of the few people employed full-time in the cause of UAE cricket thinks he will skip the chance to watch the two matches in person, though.
That is a personal choice for Aaqib Javed, the national team coach, because the former Pakistan bowler struggles to watch cricket after coaching it all day.
“It is really difficult for me to come and sit at the ground and watch cricket,” Aaqib said.
“I hardly watch on TV, I’m not a person who can come and watch cricket games, it is really hard for me.
“So far, we have done the things which are in our control and I’m glad we have done it.
“Now it is down to Afghanistan and Kenya and we will wait and see what happens.”
pradley@thenational.ae
NUMBER-CRUNCHING
2- Teams qualify automatically for the 2015 World Cup from the World Cricket League. Ireland are already guaranteed first place, while the UAE are currently in possession of the second berth. The national team could still be denied the prize, however, if Afghanistan beat Kenya in Sharjah twice this week, today and on Friday.
0.298- The UAE's overall run rate over the duration of the World Cricket League is actually 0.298 inferior to that of third-place Netherlands. However, the national team leapfrogged the Dutch into second place on Sunday because they have won one more game over the course of the championship.
10- It is around a decade now since Afghanistan first held trials in Kabul with a view to set up a national cricket team. Many of the leading players were just returning from exile in Pakistan, some of them going to their homeland for the first time, having been born in the refugee camps across the border.
17- It is 17 years since the UAE made its lone appearance at a World Cup. The UAE actually won the qualifying competition, beating host side Kenya in the final. Bangladesh were still not yet a Test nation, Ireland were also-rans in the competition, and Afghanistan did not even play cricket then.
20- Months since Kabir Khan, pictured, left his role as coach of UAE cricket to take up a similar position in Afghanistan. It was the second time the former Pakistan bowler had swapped his allegiance from UAE to Afghanistan. Now it is his new side who are standing between the UAE and a place at the World Cup.
Results
• UAE beat Namibia by 138 runs on Sunday
• UAE beat Namibia by 156 runs on Friday
Fixtures
• Today, 9.30am start, Afghanistan v Kenya, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
• Friday, 9.30am start, Afghanistan v Kenya, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Admission for both matches is free
The matches will be streamed live at www.icc-cricket.com and on the official ICC YouTube Channel.
Squads
Afghanistan
Mohammed Nabi (captain), Mirwais Ashraf, Hamid Hassan, Hamza Hotak, Nawroz Mangal, Mohammed Shahzad, Karim Sadiq, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Samiullah Shinwari, Sayed Ahmed Shirzad, Asghar Stanikzai, Shapoor Zadran, Afsar Khan Zazai, Rahmat Shah
Kenya
Collins Obuya (captain), Ragheb Aga, Dhiren Gondaria, Irfan Karim, Shem Ngoche, Alex Obanda, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Nelson Odhiambo, Elijah Otieno, Morris Ouma, Rakep Patel, Gurdeep Singh, Hiren Varaiya, Dominic Wesonga
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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MATCH INFO
Karnatake Tuskers 114-1 (10 ovs)
Charles 57, Amla 47
Bangla Tigers 117-5 (8.5 ovs)
Fletcher 40, Moores 28 no, Lamichhane 2-9
Bangla Tiger win by five wickets
The major Hashd factions linked to Iran:
Badr Organisation: Seen as the most militarily capable faction in the Hashd. Iraqi Shiite exiles opposed to Saddam Hussein set up the group in Tehran in the early 1980s as the Badr Corps under the supervision of the Iran Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). The militia exalts Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei but intermittently cooperated with the US military.
Saraya Al Salam (Peace Brigade): Comprised of former members of the officially defunct Mahdi Army, a militia that was commanded by Iraqi cleric Moqtada Al Sadr and fought US and Iraqi government and other forces between 2004 and 2008. As part of a political overhaul aimed as casting Mr Al Sadr as a more nationalist and less sectarian figure, the cleric formed Saraya Al Salam in 2014. The group’s relations with Iran has been volatile.
Kataeb Hezbollah: The group, which is fighting on behalf of the Bashar Al Assad government in Syria, traces its origins to attacks on US forces in Iraq in 2004 and adopts a tough stance against Washington, calling the United States “the enemy of humanity”.
Asaeb Ahl Al Haq: An offshoot of the Mahdi Army active in Syria. Asaeb Ahl Al Haq’s leader Qais al Khazali was a student of Mr Al Moqtada’s late father Mohammed Sadeq Al Sadr, a prominent Shiite cleric who was killed during Saddam Hussein’s rule.
Harakat Hezbollah Al Nujaba: Formed in 2013 to fight alongside Mr Al Assad’s loyalists in Syria before joining the Hashd. The group is seen as among the most ideological and sectarian-driven Hashd militias in Syria and is the major recruiter of foreign fighters to Syria.
Saraya Al Khorasani: The ICRG formed Saraya Al Khorasani in the mid-1990s and the group is seen as the most ideologically attached to Iran among Tehran’s satellites in Iraq.
(Source: The Wilson Centre, the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation)
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
PRO BASH
Thursday’s fixtures
6pm: Hyderabad Nawabs v Pakhtoon Warriors
10pm: Lahore Sikandars v Pakhtoon Blasters
Teams
Chennai Knights, Lahore Sikandars, Pakhtoon Blasters, Abu Dhabi Stars, Abu Dhabi Dragons, Pakhtoon Warriors and Hyderabad Nawabs.
Squad rules
All teams consist of 15-player squads that include those contracted in the diamond (3), platinum (2) and gold (2) categories, plus eight free to sign team members.
Tournament rules
The matches are of 25 over-a-side with an 8-over power play in which only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle. Teams play in a single round robin league followed by the semi-finals and final. The league toppers will feature in the semi-final eliminator.
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
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.
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
88 Video's most popular rentals
Avengers 3: Infinity War: an American superhero film released in 2018 and based on the Marvel Comics story.
Sholay: a 1975 Indian action-adventure film. It follows the adventures of two criminals hired by police to catch a vagabond. The film was panned on release but is now considered a classic.
Lucifer: is a 2019 Malayalam-language action film. It dives into the gritty world of Kerala’s politics and has become one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time.
The Specs
Engine 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 582bhp (542bhp in GTS model)
Torque: 730Nm
Price: Dh649,000 (Dh549,000 for GTS)
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE
There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.
This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
