Moaaz Qazi speaks about his education plans while embracing his cricket career as the all-rounder, 18, prepares for a busy coming few months with the UAE:
qWhat is the atmosphere and mood in the camp ahead of the World Cup?
aIt is excellent and enjoyable with the World Cup about to start. There is a feeling of camaraderie from the players to the technical staff. We are all excited and raring to go in our first game against England.
What was your reaction to being selected in the national Twenty20 side?
It was a surprise at first. Then I feel I can perform, if provided with the opportunity to play. The T20 format is my strength and suits my style of play as I love to hit the ball hard.
Your success has come at a price because you are missing out on your studies. How do you plan to catch up on this?
I am not doing the A-Levels and am instead planning to apply to a few universities in Canada, where I can do a foundation course to enter a university. It was the plan, and then the U19 World Cup came up. So I have prolonged it until after the T20 World Cup in March.
Are you still aiming to make a full-time career out of playing cricket?
I will continue playing cricket regardless of where I will be, because it is something that I love to do. If I find university entrance in Canada, there is scope for me to continue playing as well. I will still have to get permission from my parents and I am sure they will not have any objections, because it is a sport.
apassela@thenational.ae
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs
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Specs
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The specs: 2018 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy
Price, base / as tested Dh97,600
Engine 1,745cc Milwaukee-Eight v-twin engine
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Power 78hp @ 5,250rpm
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Fuel economy, combined 5.0L / 100km (estimate)
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
States of Passion by Nihad Sirees,
Pushkin Press
Sanju
Produced: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Anushka Sharma, Manish’s Koirala, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Boman Irani
Rating: 3.5 stars
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
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Election pledges on migration
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The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
