As UAE’s players bolted for all corners of Mulpani Cricket Ground in wild celebration, the man who had just brought about their extraordinary win over Oman ran in a direct line towards the dressing room while cupping his mouth.
The gesture is an oft-used one by aggrieved athletes, and its meaning easy to decrypt: you have slighted me, but I will let my actions do the talking.
And well Basil Hameed might have felt wronged. The all-rounder had been one of the mainstays of the national team until February, after which he was inexplicably jettisoned, a casualty of the chaotic final weeks of the Robin Singh coaching regime.
Since Singh has gone, the national team’s results have improved markedly. So much so that forcing a way into the XI – even for a player of Hameed’s rich talent – is tricky.
The 31-year-old was recalled, 69 days and 18 matches since last lining up in UAE colours in a T20 international against Afghanistan, to face Oman in the ACC Premier Cup semi-final on Saturday.
He only got his chance because Mulpani is known to take turn, so his off-spin earned him the nod over seam bowler Sanchit Sharma. He knew well his chance might only be a fleeting one.
Twice he grasped his shot at redemption. First, he played a canny cameo at the end of the UAE innings, making 34 to help them to post 236.
His impact with the ball was spectacularly decisive. Tasked with bowling the 43rd over, he turned the game on its head. First, he had Ayaan Khan caught on the boundary rope by Rohan Mustafa.
Then, off the final delivery of the over, he induced an edge from the bat of Sandeep Goud which was taken sharply at the wicket by Vriitya Aravind.
It was the only point during the Oman run chase in which UAE had been ahead on Duckworth Lewis Stern. The fact the sides then went off because of an electrical storm, never to return, meant UAE were two-run winners, and had stolen a place in Monday’s final against Nepal.
“I was astonished by the performance,” Hameed said. “To be honest, I was under a lot of pressure. Coming back into the team when it has been doing so well means you have a lot of expectations on you.
“Being sitting outside the team for so many matches, then coming back and playing against such a tough opponent in an ODI, it was a lot for me.
“Even though I hadn’t played a match, everybody was very positive. The captain [Muhammad Waseem] was very supportive, as was the coach [Mudassar Nazar].
“I am extremely happy to contribute for the team. On another day, Oman would have won this match.”
Hameed said he had not been told the reason for him being dropped, but he is eager to return as a better player.
“I was surprised as well, but I honestly thought it was good to have a break at that point of time,” Hameed said.
“It gave me more courage as a cricketer. In the break, I got an opportunity to work a lot harder, and understand what I need to be doing better on and off the field.
“I have taken it in a positive way, but it is good to come back as well.”
He also said his cupping the mouth celebration was less a protest than a tribute to a mate.
The celebration is the trademark of Akif Raja, a UAE seam bowler who has also not been spotted since February’s T20I series against Afghanistan. Hameed says he adopted it to honour his friend.
“I copied it from Akif Raja because I love that celebration,” Hameed said. “When he took wickets in ILT20 he did that celebration, and I told him if I take a wicket I will copy his celebration.
“Obviously, when you come back as a cricketer you want to come back very strong. I was hoping I could score a 50 and take the team towards a win, so it was something coming from inside as well.
“But, to be honest, I was extremely happy with the way Akif performed, and I wanted to take something from him, so I took his celebration.”
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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THE%20SPECS
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The nine articles of the 50-Year Charter
1. Dubai silk road
2. A geo-economic map for Dubai
3. First virtual commercial city
4. A central education file for every citizen
5. A doctor to every citizen
6. Free economic and creative zones in universities
7. Self-sufficiency in Dubai homes
8. Co-operative companies in various sectors
9: Annual growth in philanthropy
The biog
Birthday: February 22, 1956
Born: Madahha near Chittagong, Bangladesh
Arrived in UAE: 1978
Exercise: At least one hour a day on the Corniche, from 5.30-6am and 7pm to 8pm.
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi? “Everywhere. Wherever you go, you can relax.”
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Vault%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJune%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBilal%20Abou-Diab%20and%20Sami%20Abdul%20Hadi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbu%20Dhabi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELicensed%20by%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abu%20Dhabi%20Global%20Market%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EInvestment%20and%20wealth%20advisory%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%241%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EOutliers%20VC%20and%20angel%20investors%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E14%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THE DRAFT
The final phase of player recruitment for the T10 League has taken place, with UAE and Indian players being drafted to each of the eight teams.
Bengal Tigers
UAE players: Chirag Suri, Mohammed Usman
Indian: Zaheer Khan
Karachians
UAE players: Ahmed Raza, Ghulam Shabber
Indian: Pravin Tambe
Kerala Kings
UAE players: Mohammed Naveed, Abdul Shakoor
Indian: RS Sodhi
Maratha Arabians
UAE players: Zahoor Khan, Amir Hayat
Indian: S Badrinath
Northern Warriors
UAE players: Imran Haider, Rahul Bhatia
Indian: Amitoze Singh
Pakhtoons
UAE players: Hafiz Kaleem, Sheer Walli
Indian: RP Singh
Punjabi Legends
UAE players: Shaiman Anwar, Sandy Singh
Indian: Praveen Kumar
Rajputs
UAE players: Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed
Indian: Munaf Patel
The%20Super%20Mario%20Bros%20Movie
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Aaron%20Horvath%20and%20Michael%20Jelenic%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Chris%20Pratt%2C%20Anya%20Taylor-Joy%2C%20Charlie%20Day%2C%20Jack%20Black%2C%20Seth%20Rogen%20and%20Keegan-Michael%20Key%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Director: Romany Saad
Starring: Mirfat Amin, Boumi Fouad and Tariq Al Ibyari
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
The Bloomberg Billionaire Index in full
1 Jeff Bezos $140 billion
2 Bill Gates $98.3 billion
3 Bernard Arnault $83.1 billion
4 Warren Buffett $83 billion
5 Amancio Ortega $67.9 billion
6 Mark Zuckerberg $67.3 billion
7 Larry Page $56.8 billion
8 Larry Ellison $56.1 billion
9 Sergey Brin $55.2 billion
10 Carlos Slim $55.2 billion
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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THE POPE'S ITINERARY
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
