The chief executive of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), Syed Ashraful Haq, has urged countries in the region not to enter teams in next year's Asian Games.
Haq is in the Emirates for the ACC Twenty20 Trophy, which Afghanistan won by beating the UAE at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi last night by 84 runs.
Test-playing nations India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will all send teams to next year's Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, but Haq has urged countries such as the UAE not to follow suit.
Under a change of rules implemented by Asian Games organisers in March, only passport holders of the competing nations can take part. The UAE team which took part in the ACC T20 only had two Emiratis in their line-up.
The first side consisting solely of Emiratis has also been in action this weekend in the Gulf Cup, a tournament held at the Dubai Aluminium cricket pitch which is the first competition solely for nationals of Arab countries.
Haq said this team should not consider travelling to China as they would be outclassed and embarrassed by their world-class opponents.
"My conviction is that they should not: they should not undermine the tournament," he said.
"They cannot send a team who cannot play the game. They cannot bowl out a team like India or Pakistan and then get bowled out for 10.
"It will undermine the whole game and also jeopardise our chances of taking the game forward. It takes out all the countries from the Middle East."
Haq said he had no problems with Afghanistan entering as they have achieved one-day international status.
Abdulrazzaq Kazim, manager of the all-Emirati UAE side, dismissed Haq's comments and said the Emirates will enter.
"I have worked with Ashraful Haq for many years and have never heard him give a good piece of advice," he said. "Why should we listen to him now? We will go. Of course, if we play against India or Sri Lanka or Pakistan, we will lose. But if we don't go, from where will get the experience? It is of benefit for us to go and play there.
"If we go and play, and then the next time we go again and make the same mistakes and fail to improve, then come back and ask again. But we will benefit, of that I am sure."
Dilawar Mani, chief executive of the Emirates Cricket Board, said the UAE had every right to enter .
"Of course we are not in the same level of the elite teams but if China can field a team as the host, why not the others," he said. "We will monitor the performance of the all-Emirati team in the Gulf Cup."
Dad Mohammed al Baloushi, manager of the Oman team who finished third in the ACC T20 Trophy, said: "I don't see an all-Oman team being good enough to compete with the elite, but it can be a learning curve for us and would encourage Omanis to play cricket."
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Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Brief scoreline:
Wales 1
James 5'
Slovakia 0
Man of the Match: Dan James (Wales)
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
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Donating your hair
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As You Were
Liam Gallagher
(Warner Bros)
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
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Duterte Harry: Fire and Fury in the Philippines
Jonathan Miller, Scribe Publications
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Limited-edition art prints of The Sofa Series: Sultani can be acquired from Reem El Mutwalli at www.reemelmutwalli.com
Tips for entertaining with ease
· Set the table the night before. It’s a small job but it will make you feel more organised once done.
· As the host, your mood sets the tone. If people arrive to find you red-faced and harried, they’re not going to relax until you do. Take a deep breath and try to exude calm energy.
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The view from The National
RESULTS
Lightweight (female)
Sara El Bakkali bt Anisha Kadka
Bantamweight
Mohammed Adil Al Debi bt Moaz Abdelgawad
Welterweight
Amir Boureslan bt Mahmoud Zanouny
Featherweight
Mohammed Al Katheeri bt Abrorbek Madaminbekov
Super featherweight
Ibrahem Bilal bt Emad Arafa
Middleweight
Ahmed Abdolaziz bt Imad Essassi
Bantamweight (female)
Ilham Bourakkadi bt Milena Martinou
Welterweight
Mohamed Mardi bt Noureddine El Agouti
Middleweight
Nabil Ouach bt Ymad Atrous
Welterweight
Nouredine Samir bt Marlon Ribeiro
Super welterweight
Brad Stanton bt Mohamed El Boukhari
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
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Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
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Fixtures
Sunday, December 8, Sharjah Cricket Stadium – UAE v USA
Monday, December 9, Sharjah Cricket Stadium – USA v Scotland
Wednesday, December 11, Sharjah Cricket Stadium – UAE v Scotland
Thursday, December 12, ICC Academy, Dubai – UAE v USA
Saturday, December 14, ICC Academy, Dubai – USA v Scotland
Sunday, December 15, ICC Academy, Dubai – UAE v Scotland
Note: All matches start at 10am, admission is free
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
The five pillars of Islam
