To think this T20 World Cup is supposedly being played on neutral soil. That’s a laugh! Two days after planting their flag in Dubai and owning the place for one glorious night, Pakistan have stormed Sharjah, too.
As is their wont, New Zealand put up a fight. The fact they could even hear themselves think, let alone push Pakistan close, was an achievement amid the series of sonic booms emitted by Pakistan’s supporters at the UAE's oldest cricket venue.
But ultimately they were unable to repel the green tide washing over the first week of the Super 12. Pakistan were five-wicket winners on another night of triumph for Babar Azam’s thrilling team.
This fixture would have been no more raucous if it had been played in Rawalpindi or Karachi.
All 12,000 available tickets were sold – which is 80 per cent of the capacity of Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
By midway through the second innings, it was difficult to spot a spare blue seat. The gangways were filled.
Outside, supporters lined the street in front of the Invest Bank and the hypermarket, watching the scoreboard count down, and getting their occasional fill of a highlight on the bigscreen. Residents crammed their balconies. The roof of the adjacent apartment block was filled to its own capacity.
When the gates had opened two hours before the start of play, scores of supporters started to pour in.
There was a reason they all wanted to be in place early. Yes, everyone was still riding a wave of euphoria from two nights earlier, following that historic win over India, up the E-311 in Dubai.
But more precisely, no one wanted to miss the headline act: The Shaheen Afridi First Over.
Unlike Rohit Sharma for India, Martin Guptill was able to survive the first six exocets Shaheen sent down.
No better than that, though. The first over of the game was a maiden, which took the breath away.
Sharjah has spent the best part of three decades cheering an S Afridi to the echo. On the evidence of this, the new model is every bit as popular as his namesake Shahid.
By the end of the New Zealand innings, he had one for 21. Every ball of it had thrilled the packed crowd.
And yet, as an indication of the fast bowling riches available to Pakistan, he was upstaged by another quick.
Haris Rauf took 4-22. This from a cricketer who had no pro contract for cricket the last time there was a T20 World Cup, who was still playing tape-ball before being spotted at a talent hunt by the Lahore Qalandars.
Rauf fired out Guptill, Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, and Mitchell Santner, who fell to the last ball of the innings as New Zealand closed on 134-8.
At the start of the sixth over of Pakistan’s reply, the ground was finally stunned into a disbelieving silence. Babar Azam was out. It was not even a drill. There was no resorting to DRS. His stumps had been flattened by Tim Southee.
For the first time in the 2021 T20 World Cup, Pakistan had lost a wicket. Indeed, the chase was not without its troubles, against a courageous and highly-skilled bowling attack, on a low wicket which makes chasing tough at the best of times.
Mohammed Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman were both trapped lbw to the leg spin of Ish Sodhi. Mohammed Hafeez fell to an extraordinary diving boundary catch by Conway.
When Imad Wasim was struck on the leg in front of the stumps by Trent Boult, it seemed as though New Zealand were actually going to ruin the party.
Not so. Asif Ali (27 not out off 12) hit three balls over the rope – either side of receiving treatment after being struck in the face by a short ball from Tim Southee.
And he clinched it when he and Shoaib Malik (26 not out) scurried a two to the offside boundary to make it two from two for Pakistan.
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
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Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH SCHEDULE
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tuesday, April 24 (10.45pm)
Liverpool v Roma
Wednesday, April 25
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid (10.45pm)
Europa League semi-final, first leg
Thursday, April 26
Arsenal v Atletico Madrid (11.05pm)
Marseille v Salzburg (11.05pm)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
JAPAN SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Masaaki Higashiguchi, Shuichi Gonda, Daniel Schmidt
Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo, Tomoaki Makino, Maya Yoshida, Sho Sasaki, Hiroki Sakai, Sei Muroya, Genta Miura, Takehiro Tomiyasu
Midfielders: Toshihiro Aoyama, Genki Haraguchi, Gaku Shibasaki, Wataru Endo, Junya Ito, Shoya Nakajima, Takumi Minamino, Hidemasa Morita, Ritsu Doan
Forwards: Yuya Osako, Takuma Asano, Koya Kitagawa
THE SPECS
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 258hp at 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.4L/100km
Price, base: from D215,000 (Dh230,000 as tested)
On sale: now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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3%20Body%20Problem
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THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
More coverage from the Future Forum
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THE BIO: Mohammed Ashiq Ali
Proudest achievement: “I came to a new country and started this shop”
Favourite TV programme: the news
Favourite place in Dubai: Al Fahidi. “They started the metro in 2009 and I didn’t take it yet.”
Family: six sons in Dubai and a daughter in Faisalabad
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Result
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 – Group 1 (PA) $65,000 (Dirt) 2,000m; Winner: Brraq, Ryan Curatolo (jockey), Jean-Claude Pecout (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $65,000 (Turf) 1,800m; Winner: Bright Melody, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby
7.40pm: Meydan Classic – Listed (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Naval Crown, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby
8.15pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy – Group 3 (TB) $195,000 (T) 2,810m; Winner: Volcanic Sky, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
8.50pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Star Safari, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
9.25pm: Meydan Challenge – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Zainhom, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, second leg:
Liverpool (0) v Barcelona (3), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Game is on BeIN Sports
HOW TO WATCH
Facebook: TheNationalNews
Twitter: @thenationalnews
Instagram: @thenationalnews.com
TikTok: @thenationalnews
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Honeymoonish
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Barbie
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Remaining fixtures
- August 29 – UAE v Saudi Arabia, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
- September 5 – Iraq v UAE, Amman, Jordan (venue TBC)
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 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
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
