When Chirag Suri was assembling his highest T20 international score on Saturday, seven days after doing the same in ODI cricket, the timing was neat.
At the exact same time, across the Arabian Sea, millions of dollars were being gorged at the Indian Premier League mega auction.
At various points around the globe, cricketers were having their lives changed in an instant, with the promise of eye-watering salaries to play alongside the greats of the game.
Suri is the lone UAE player who can vaguely empathise. He remains the only one from these shores so far to have been contracted within franchise cricket’s biggest show.
It is nearly five years now since he spent a season with Gujarat Lions. When his name went under the hammer at the 2017 auction, he was moved to tears.
T20 World Cup Qualifier A, Muscat
Friday, February 18: 10am - Oman v Nepal, Canada v Philippines; 2pm - Ireland v UAE, Germany v Bahrain
Saturday, February 19: 10am - Oman v Canada, Nepal v Philippines; 2pm - UAE v Germany, Ireland v Bahrain
Monday, February 21: 10am - Ireland v Germany, UAE v Bahrain; 2pm - Nepal v Canada, Oman v Philippines
Tuesday, February 22: 2pm – semi-finals
Thursday, February 24: 2pm – final
UAE squad: Ahmed Raza (captain), Muhammad Waseem, Chirag Suri, Vriitya Aravind, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Raja Akifullah, Karthik Meiyappan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Zafar Farid, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Rahul Bhatia
All matches to be streamed live on icc.tv
It was a special day in his life. So maybe the memory of it prompted his 84 not out against Nepal on this year’s mega auction day? Not a bit of it. In fact, he had to be made aware of the coincidence.
“It’s true that the auction was going on,” Suri said. “Obviously, that is one of the biggest tournaments in the world and every cricketer wants to be part of that.
“Not a lot of Associate cricketers have had the chance to be part of the IPL, and that is definitely something in the future I would love to be part of.
“But the focus for us is the World Cup. I have never been part of a World Cup. It is my dream to be going to Australia to play in the T20 World Cup. Nothing is bigger than the World Cup.”
Only two of the current UAE squad have sampled what it is like to play at a World Cup - Ahmed Raza and Rohan Mustafa were part of the 2014 squad for the T20 tournament in Bangladesh.
Suri played a part in the team who earned qualification for the 50-over version a year later, but did not make the final cut for the tournament.
In the time since, UAE have found a variety of different ways to miss out on trips to the big show – some more sinister than others.
Their preparation for the T20 World Cup Qualifier in Muscat, which starts when they face Ireland on Friday, has been wildly different to past editions. Essentially because it has been going unnervingly well.
UAE were unbeaten in seven games in all cricket before their final-over defeat to hosts Oman in their final warm up match on Monday.
“It has been a while since we have been in such a blessed position, where everything we have touched has turned to gold,” said Raza, the national team captain.
“Hopefully next week is the same. It has been ideal preparation, playing seven games already on the same square and in the same conditions.
“We couldn’t have asked for anything else, especially with the way we have been playing.
“There have been different players who have been raising their hands and performing on different days. It is a great position to be in.”
Bahrain and Germany are the other two sides in the four team group – neither of whom the UAE have faced before.
Their opposition in the first match, though, are regular rivals. Ireland accounted for five of the six matches UAE played in 2021, while they also faced them in Muscat as recently as Sunday.
The national team have enjoyed the better of the exchanges against the Irish in recent times, but Raza is warning that counts for nothing when the Qualifier starts.
“It is really important to start well in these tournament because you don’t want to put yourselves under pressure by not winning,” Raza said.
“Having beaten Ireland just a couple of days ago, that doesn’t guarantee a win. We have to start from scratch and hopefully scrap our way to victory.
“The Oman loss was the first we have had in a long time. Even if there was complacency, which I don’t think there was, it definitely worked in our favour.
“We have stayed grounded. We played good cricket in the second half of the game because that was a below par score. Our record in Oman is great, and hopefully we can live up to that in the coming week.”
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 640hp
Torque: 760nm
On sale: 2026
Price: Not announced yet
THE SPECS
GMC Sierra Denali 1500
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Price: Dh232,500
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Company profile
Name: Fruitful Day
Founders: Marie-Christine Luijckx, Lyla Dalal AlRawi, Lindsey Fournie
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2015
Number of employees: 30
Sector: F&B
Funding so far: Dh3 million
Future funding plans: None at present
Future markets: Saudi Arabia, potentially Kuwait and other GCC countries
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Freezer tips
- Always make sure food is completely cool before freezing.
- If you’re cooking in large batches, divide into either family-sized or individual portions to freeze.
- Ensure the food is well wrapped in foil or cling film. Even better, store in fully sealable, labelled containers or zip-lock freezer bags.
- The easiest and safest way to defrost items such as the stews and sauces mentioned is to do so in the fridge for several hours or overnight.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
Playing records of the top 10 in 2017
How many games the top 10 have undertaken in the 2017 ATP season
1. Rafael Nadal 58 (49-9)
2. Andy Murray 35 (25-10)
3. Roger Federer 38 (35-3)
4. Stan Wawrinka 37 (26-11)
5. Novak Djokovic 40 (32-8)
6. Alexander Zverev 60 (46-14)
7. Marin Cilic 43 (29-14)
8. Dominic Thiem 60 (41-19)
9. Grigor Dimitrov 48 (34-14)
10. Kei Nishikori 43 (30-13)
Revival
Eminem
Interscope
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%20Profile
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Uefa Nations League: How it works
The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.
The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.
Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.
more from Janine di Giovanni
The biog
Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists.
Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.
Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Small Victories: The True Story of Faith No More by Adrian Harte
Jawbone Press
The biog
Favourite colour: Brown
Favourite Movie: Resident Evil
Hobbies: Painting, Cooking, Imitating Voices
Favourite food: Pizza
Trivia: Was the voice of three characters in the Emirati animation, Shaabiyat Al Cartoon
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 480hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 570Nm from 2,300-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 10.4L/100km
Price: from Dh547,600
On sale: now
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Key features of new policy
Pupils to learn coding and other vocational skills from Grade 6
Exams to test critical thinking and application of knowledge
A new National Assessment Centre, PARAKH (Performance, Assessment, Review and Analysis for Holistic Development) will form the standard for schools
Schools to implement online system to encouraging transparency and accountability
T20 World Cup Qualifier A, Muscat
Friday, February 18: 10am - Oman v Nepal, Canada v Philippines; 2pm - Ireland v UAE, Germany v Bahrain
Saturday, February 19: 10am - Oman v Canada, Nepal v Philippines; 2pm - UAE v Germany, Ireland v Bahrain
Monday, February 21: 10am - Ireland v Germany, UAE v Bahrain; 2pm - Nepal v Canada, Oman v Philippines
Tuesday, February 22: 2pm – semi-finals
Thursday, February 24: 2pm – final
UAE squad: Ahmed Raza (captain), Muhammad Waseem, Chirag Suri, Vriitya Aravind, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Raja Akifullah, Karthik Meiyappan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Zafar Farid, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Rahul Bhatia
All matches to be streamed live on icc.tv
