UAE celebrate their win over Ireland in the T20 World Cup Qualifier final. Photo: ICC
UAE celebrate their win over Ireland in the T20 World Cup Qualifier final. Photo: ICC
UAE celebrate their win over Ireland in the T20 World Cup Qualifier final. Photo: ICC
UAE celebrate their win over Ireland in the T20 World Cup Qualifier final. Photo: ICC

'Why can't I hit like him?': Rohan Mustafa in awe of UAE batting partner Muhammad Waseem


Paul Radley
  • English
  • Arabic

Bearing in mind Rohan Mustafa once declined a motorbike as a reward for being player of a tournament, it might be assumed he is not one for mementoes.

As such, it was a surprise to see him lovingly holding on to a stump in the wake of the UAE’s victory in the T20 World Cup Qualifier final against Ireland in Muscat on Thursday.

It turns out the UAE all-rounder, who hit the winning runs in the seven-wicket win against the Irish, does appreciate keepsakes. Just so long as he does not have to pay import duty.

“In big tournaments, like when we played in Namibia [in 2018], I do this,” said Mustafa, who took three wickets and was not out on 37 when victory was sealed.

“The semi-final was an important game. We had qualified for the World Cup, but [the groundstaff] said no, and that I had to take it after the final.

“I don’t keep balls or things like that, but I do when the tournament is really big for us. I take them to Pakistan now. Last time I went I took 110kgs of trophies, because there is no space to keep it.

“I have a big home in Pakistan, Alhamdulillah, so I keep these things there.”

Mustafa had the best view in the house of another remarkable knock by Muhammad Waseem. The UAE opener scored the second century of his 12-match T20 international career to lay the platform for UAE’s win.

In the process, he shared in a 141-run stand for the third wicket with Mustafa.

“To be honest, when you bat with him, sometimes you feel ashamed and think, 'why can’t I hit like him?'” Mustafa said.

“He was talking to me the whole time saying, ‘Please don’t give your wicket away. Because of you, I’m very confident. If I get out, you need to be there.’

“That was our plan. When he hits, I think he is one of the best hitters in Associate cricket. They had some off-spinners and he wanted to take the risks against them.

“I think he played outstandingly well. Credit to him, he took the match away from Ireland in a few overs.”

Winning the Qualifier means UAE will now be entered into a first-round group with Sri Lanka, Namibia and the second-placed side in the second global qualifier, which will be played in Zimbabwe later this year. Their matches will be played at Kardinia Park in Geelong on October 16, 18 and 20.

For the side’s two senior players, Mustafa and captain Ahmed Raza, it means a second trip to a World Cup. They were each in the UAE squad for the World T20 in Bangladesh in 2014.

Back then, UAE lost all their matches and failed to advance to the main phase of the competition. Raza is demanding better this time around.

“For myself and Rohan, the last time we played a World Cup, at that age it was more about just going to the World Cup,” Raza said.

“Now our mentality is that we want to go there and do well, make it to the Super 12, and cause some upsets over there.

“That mentality has definitely changed, and this group of people is special. We can really expect something very special from them come October in Australia.

“The first goal will be to make it to the Super 12, then do well from there on.”

As the defeated finalists in the tournament in Oman, Ireland will be pitched into a pool with West Indies, Scotland and the winners of the Harare qualifying event.

Andrew Balbirnie, Ireland’s captain, acknowledged the best team had won in Muscat, but said he was satisfied to be progressing to the main event.

“We have lot of positive aspects with how the week has gone,” Balbirnie said.

“We have qualified which was the main thing at the start of it. When you play a one-off final, you want to come out holding the trophy but I think the best team today won.”

Six large-scale objects on show
  • Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
  • The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
  • A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
  • Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
  • A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
  • Torrijos Palace dome
COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed 

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

Teaching your child to save

Pre-school (three - five years)

You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.

Early childhood (six - eight years)

Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.

Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)

Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.

Young teens (12 - 14 years)

Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.

Teenage (15 - 18 years)

Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.

Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)

Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.

* JP Morgan Private Bank 

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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
2.0

Director: S Shankar

Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films

Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

War

Director: Siddharth Anand

Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Ashutosh Rana, Vaani Kapoor

Rating: Two out of five stars 

GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

BEACH SOCCER WORLD CUP

Group A

Paraguay
Japan
Switzerland
USA

Group B

Uruguay
Mexico
Italy
Tahiti

Group C

Belarus
UAE
Senegal
Russia

Group D

Brazil
Oman
Portugal
Nigeria

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RESULTS

Bantamweight

Victor Nunes (BRA) beat Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK)

(Split decision)

Featherweight

Hussein Salim (IRQ) beat Shakhriyor Juraev (UZB)

(Round 1 submission, armbar)

Catchweight 80kg

Rashed Dawood (UAE) beat Otabek Kadirov (UZB)

(Round-1 submission, rear naked choke)

Lightweight

Ho Taek-oh (KOR) beat Ronald Girones (CUB)

(Round 3 submission, triangle choke)

Lightweight

Arthur Zaynukov (RUS) beat Damien Lapilus (FRA)

(Unanimous points)

Bantamweight

Vinicius de Oliveira (BRA) beat Furkatbek Yokubov (RUS)

(Round 1 TKO)

Featherweight

Movlid Khaybulaev (RUS) v Zaka Fatullazade (AZE)

(Round 1 rear naked choke)

Flyweight

Shannon Ross (TUR) beat Donovon Freelow (USA)

(Unanimous decision)

Lightweight

Dan Collins (GBR) beat Mohammad Yahya (UAE)

(Round 2 submission D’arce choke)

Catchweight 73kg

Martun Mezhulmyan (ARM) beat Islam Mamedov (RUS)

(Round 3 submission, kneebar)

Bantamweight world title

Xavier Alaoui (MAR) beat Jaures Dea (CAM)

(Unanimous points 48-46, 49-45, 49-45)

Flyweight world title

Manon Fiorot (FRA) v Gabriela Campo (ARG)

(Round 1 RSC)

US%20federal%20gun%20reform%20since%20Sandy%20Hook
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Profile

Company: Justmop.com

Date started: December 2015

Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan

Sector: Technology and home services

Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai

Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month

Funding:  The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups. 

Gothia Cup 2025

4,872 matches 

1,942 teams

116 pitches

76 nations

26 UAE teams

15 Lebanese teams

2 Kuwaiti teams

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
RESULT

Bournemouth 0 Southampton 3 (Djenepo (37', Redmond 45' 1, 59')

Man of the match Nathan Redmond (Southampton)

match info

Union Berlin 0

Bayern Munich 1 (Lewandowski 40' pen, Pavard 80')

Man of the Match: Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich)

Married Malala

Malala Yousafzai is enjoying married life, her father said.

The 24-year-old married Pakistan cricket executive Asser Malik last year in a small ceremony in the UK.

Ziauddin Yousafzai told The National his daughter was ‘very happy’ with her husband.

The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.0%20twin-turbo%20inline%20six-cylinder%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eeight-speed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E503hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E600Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efrom%20Dh400%2C000%20(estimate)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale

Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni

Director: Amith Krishnan

Rating: 3.5/5

Updated: February 25, 2022, 8:03 AM`