Vriitya Aravind is only 19 years old. He is missing university lectures to play for UAE at the T20 World Cup Qualifier in Oman. It must be hoped he has years of representative cricket for the country left in him.
In which case, Ahmed Raza, the national team captain, is going to need a thesaurus. “I don’t have any more superlatives for him now,” Raza said after the teenage wicketkeeper dragged UAE into the Qualifier semi-finals via a dramatic final pool-match against Bahrain. “He is just a special kid.”
On Tuesday, the national team will go up against familiar rivals Nepal. The winners will earn a place in the final of the eight-team qualifier. More importantly, victory carries with it a place at the World Cup in Australia in October.
Right up until the final over of their run-chase against Bahrain, their unheralded Gulf neighbours, it appeared as though their hopes of a trip to the big show had been extinguished.
With six balls left of their final pool game, they needed 27 to win. More vitally, they required 12 to get them into the last four, with their student wicketkeeper on strike.
Aravind laced the first two balls from Shahid Mahmood for four. He scurried two with Mohammed Usman off the third. Then progress was sealed off the next.
“I wasn’t looking at the 12 - I was trying to win the game,” Aravind said of his final-over game plan.
“I felt like I played a bit too slow, which was why the team was in this situation. So I was thinking, 'Let me try and win this for the team'. It went six, four, double, and there was two centimetres in it at the end.”
Had the last ball not been hauled in by the boundary fielder, it would have gone to a Super Over. As it was, Bahrain won by two, but UAE still advanced.
“That was one of the most intense games I’ve ever played,” said Aravind, who finished on 84 not out from 52 balls.
“Our whole qualification dream was on this game. We had to win. I’m not happy because we lost, but we live to fight another day now. Hopefully, [Tuesday] is our day.”
Aravind is the leading run-scorer in the tournament so far, with 221 runs at a strike-rate of 149.32.
“The form he has shown over the past few weeks has been amazing,” captain Raza said.
“He was pretty gutted he couldn’t get us over the line. He realises that, and he is only a 19-year-old kid. He is going to learn from this.
“Some of the options he took in the middle overs, he might not do in the future. At the end, he nearly got us over the line. He played brilliantly.”
Defeat meant UAE were beaten to top spot in the group by Ireland, who were comfortable winners over Germany on the adjacent field at the Oman Cricket Academy. The Irish face hosts Oman in the semi-finals.
Nepal are the only unbeaten side left in the tournament, after they easily overcame Canada by eight wickets in their afternoon game.
UAE and Nepal have met four times in T20 internationals, with wins divided evenly between them. They met as recently as Saturday, February 12, when UAE won a warm-up match before this tournament by 25 runs.
Sandeep Lamichhane, who was named player-of-the-match against Canada after he took three for 12 from his four overs of leg-spin, is satisfied with his side’s form ahead of the decisive fixture.
“The best is yet to come from all the boys,” Lamichhane, Nepal’s captain, said.
“It is about one more big effort from the boys [on Tuesday]. Everyone is pumped up. It has been a very good journey in the round-robin games.
“We are just looking forward to it. Whoever copes best with the pressure and adjusts to the conditions will be the winner.”
Pictures from the T20 clash between the UAE and Bahrain can be seen in the gallery above. To view the next image, click on the arrows or swipe if on a mobile device.
Cracks in the Wall
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Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Cologne v Hoffenheim (11.30pm)
Saturday
Hertha Berlin v RB Leipzig (6.30pm)
Schalke v Fortuna Dusseldof (6.30pm)
Mainz v Union Berlin (6.30pm)
Paderborn v Augsburg (6.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund (9.30pm)
Sunday
Borussia Monchengladbach v Werder Bremen (4.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Bayer Leverkusen (6.30pm)
SC Freiburg v Eintracht Frankfurt (9on)
Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
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Punchy appearance
Roars of support buoyed Mr Johnson in an extremely confident and combative appearance
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David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.
The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.
“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.
“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”
Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.
Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.
“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.
