As UAE set the seal on their latest Cricket World Cup League 2 campaign with another comprehensive win over Nepal, Junaid Siddique knelt down and cursed his luck in mock aggravation.
He immediately bounced back to his feet with a broad smile, and went off to celebrate the 99-run success with his teammates.
The fast bowler had just been denied a first five-wicket haul in international cricket when Nepal’s final wicket fell. Even Basil Hameed, who took the last wicket, held his head in his hands in disappointment.
A fifth wicket in the innings would have been due reward for Siddique, whose returns have been excellent during the UAE’s intense run of matches over the past six weeks.
He took 4-23 against Nepal, to take his tally to 13 wickets in the eight matches UAE have had over the past two weeks in the World Cup League. No wonder his teammates were willing him on for one more.
“They just wanted the wickets to go against my name, but at the end of the day, the team won,” Siddique said.
“Personal records are nothing. The team ones are what matter and what we all care about.”
In the course of the last 44 days, UAE have played 19 matches across two formats. In that time they have clinched qualification for the T20 World Cup, and established themselves in second place in the qualifying league for the 50-over version.
Siddique has been a mainstay of the effort, establishing himself as the pace spearhead. Yet again, his fine performance against Nepal was in spite of what had felt like a below par return by the team’s batters.
The home team were defending 203, which was brought about by Rohan Mustafa's second successive half-century, on his 50th ODI appearance. Nepal’s batting malaise continued as they managed just 103, which is their lowest ODI score.
“There is always pressure on the bowlers when the batters have not done well,” Siddique said.
“It is my responsibility, as well as those of [fellow seamers] Kashif [Daud], Zahoor [Khan], and the others to do our job and make us win.
“We are excited about going [to the T20 World Cup] but we know the standard is going up so we can’t afford to stand still. We are trying to win every match, and day by day our standard is going higher. We are happy.”
Over the course of back-to-back tri-series, first against Oman and Namibia, and then against Nepal and Papua New Guinea, UAE won five out of eight matches.
“We are not entirely satisfied, because when we started this series of matches we wanted to win all our matches,” Ahmed Raza, the captain, said.
“Unfortunately we couldn’t make it, but I’m very happy to take six points from it.
“When you play at home you are expected to win, and our team was aiming to take full points. But playing 19 games in the space of two months takes its toll.”
Sandeep Lamichhane, Nepal’s captain, remains at a loss to explain the batting failings of his side. The meek effort of 103 this time around followed a similarly dire 120 when they had faced the same opposition last week.
“Every time we go back to the dressing room and the drawing board, we do talk about the match,” Lamichhane said.
“It is not happening for us right now. Hopefully, whatever mistakes we are making, we can correct them and improve results.
“If you are a professional cricketer, you have no choice. If you lost yesterday, today is another day for you to go and express yourself and improve. That is what my motto is.
“Everyone will be fine. We need to make the effort and push each other.”
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Scoreline
UAE 2-1 Saudi Arabia
UAE Mabkhout 21’, Khalil 59’
Saudi Al Abed (pen) 20’
Man of the match Ahmed Khalil (UAE)
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Monster
Directed by: Anthony Mandler
Starring: Kelvin Harrison Jr., John David Washington
3/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Abu Dhabi World Pro 2019 remaining schedule:
Wednesday April 24: Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship, 11am-6pm
Thursday April 25: Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship, 11am-5pm
Friday April 26: Finals, 3-6pm
Saturday April 27: Awards ceremony, 4pm and 8pm
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Liverpool: Salah (26'), Lovren (40'), Solanke (53'), Robertson (85')
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
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.
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
