Days ahead of the two countries meeting in a crucial World Cup qualifying fixture, a Sri Lanka great has emerged as a candidate to fill the vacant UAE head coach role.
Chaminda Vaas, the World Cup-winning former left-arm seam bowler, is among those who have applied to be considered for the vacancy.
The UAE face Sri Lanka in their opening match at the Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Bulawayo on Monday.
The competition, which carries with it the final two places at the main event in India later this year, is set to be Mudassar Nazar’s final assignment in interim charge.
The former Pakistan all-rounder stepped in from his role in charge of the country’s age-group cricket to fill the breach after the departure of Robin Singh in March.
The Emirates Cricket Board have advertised the position with a deadline for applications of June 26, which is the day before the UAE’s final first-round match at the Qualifier.
Vaas, who is presently coaching at a T20 franchise tournament in India, is hopeful he will be considered for the full-time job in UAE and believes he could make a difference.
“I’ve been following the UAE’s fortunes recently and they have a very good team with a good blend of youngsters,” Vaas told The National.
“They have a well-balanced side. I feel they need someone to motivate them to get to the next level.
“Some of the players are very talented and very capable of competing with players from any other countries.”
The UAE have been coached by a World Cup-winning former swing bowler before. Aaqib Javed, who was a winner with Pakistan in 1992, had a successful four-year stint in charge before leaving to join Lahore Qalandars in 2016.
If Vaas were appointed, he would likely immediately command respect based on his illustrious playing career.
Only three players – Muttiah Muralitharan, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis – have taken more than the 400 wickets he managed in one-day international cricket.
As well as that 1996 World Cup winner’s medal, he was also selected in the ICC’s Test and ODI teams of the year on multiple occasions.
However, Vaas is keen to prove his credentials as a coach, with an ethos based on hard work.
“My main strength, having played 20 years for my country, is knowing about expectations and what is required for a team to succeed at that level,” he said.
“I was a bowler, but having worked with Sri Lanka Cricket and elsewhere, and having been head coach with so many franchises, I feel I can handle batting and fielding and motivate the players.”
As a Level 3 qualified coach, Vaas has been a consultant to Sri Lanka, and served head coach roles at T20 competitions in Bangladesh and India, as well as his home country.
He feels this has made him equipped to understand the changing face of the sport, given the mushrooming of franchise cricket around the world.
For example, a raft of UAE players were recruited this week to play at the Global T20 Canada, starting next month.
“There is so much franchise cricket around the world and the boys are very keen to play in that,” Vaas said.
“In the meantime, they will play for the Emirates team as well and try to compete with the other leading boards in Asia.
“I think UAE have a very good chance to compete with the top Asian teams. My first goal would be to make it to Asia Cups and compete with the subcontinental countries, then the World Cup.
“You need to handle the boys in a different way. Not everybody is equal, but I would like to bring the UAE players together and help them play as a team.”
World Test Championship table
1 India 71 per cent
2 New Zealand 70 per cent
3 Australia 69.2 per cent
4 England 64.1 per cent
5 Pakistan 43.3 per cent
6 West Indies 33.3 per cent
7 South Africa 30 per cent
8 Sri Lanka 16.7 per cent
9 Bangladesh 0
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
MATCH INFO
Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Son 1', Kane 8' & 16') West Ham United 3 (Balbuena 82', Sanchez og 85', Lanzini 90' 4)
Man of the match Harry Kane
THE SPECS
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Company Profile
Company name: Yeepeey
Started: Soft launch in November, 2020
Founders: Sagar Chandiramani, Jatin Sharma and Monish Chandiramani
Based: Dubai
Industry: E-grocery
Initial investment: $150,000
Future plan: Raise $1.5m and enter Saudi Arabia next year
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
