Vriitya Aravind equals Shahid Afridi record with match-winning ton for UAE in Texas


Paul Radley
  • English
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Vriitya Aravind entered an exclusive group of just two other players after notching the second one-day international century of his career.

The wicketkeeper batter hit the winning runs to take the UAE to an eight-wicket victory over the United States in Cricket World Cup League 2 in Texas, and went to 102 not out in the process.

It meant he became just the third player in history, after Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi and Ahmed Shahzad, to score two ODIs centuries while still a teenager.

Aravind, who turns 20 on Saturday, said he had been set the target of a second ton by his father.

His dad, Rudhravel, and mum, Sashirekha, were in Texas to see it happen, just as they had been when he scored his first century – 13,000kms closer to home, in Sharjah against Namibia in March.

“My dad said, ‘You have to score a hundred in US so you have two before you turn 20, that is a big milestone to achieve’,” Aravind said. “I said, ‘Alright, I will try my best.’ To have my parents there was good. They come wherever I am to watch.

“They are planning to book a flight to Australia [when UAE play at the T20 World Cup in October]. They have been having a good time.”

The fact Aravind achieved the feat against United States felt apt. He had been plucked out of lessons at school to make his international debut against the same opposition, in Sharjah in 2019.

“The first runs I scored in international cricket was an edge through the slips off Saurabh Netravalkar past Xavier Marshall,” Aravind recalled of his debut.

“Turning it around to now score a hundred on their soil feels good, and it just feels good to contribute to the team’s success. Coming into form in the two games that we won, that is the main thing.”

Back in 2019, a call up to play international cricket had got Aravind out of a psychology test at school.

He had no such luck this time around. Instead of flying back to Dubai with the rest of his teammates after the series in Texas, he will be heading back to Loughborough University in the UK – and straight into a psychology exam.

He acknowledges he is going to be a little underprepared, with a lack of time for revision while on tour.

“It has been pretty hard,” Aravind said. “I’ve been rooming with Ahmed Raza, then the other youngsters like Alishan [Sharafu] and Karthik [Meiyappan] have been my close friends since I was young, so it has been pretty difficult to study with them around.

“I haven’t really prepared, so I felt like I had better to go out and score a hundred just to feel I at least had something to look back on.”

Having his mum and dad on tour in Texas was handy for an admin reason, too. It will help ease any excess baggage issues he might have had travelling back with yet more awards.

He was named player of the match for the century against United States, and player of the series, too.

He had also scored a half-century in a run-chase in the previous game against Scotland, with his form inspiring victories in consecutive days, after the side had started the tour with a pair of defeats.

UAE captain Ahmed Raza lavished praise on Vriitya Aravind following his historic century. Chris Whiteoak / The National
UAE captain Ahmed Raza lavished praise on Vriitya Aravind following his historic century. Chris Whiteoak / The National

“In the first two games I had decent starts but didn’t convert it,” Aravind said. “It was a case of getting used to the new conditions. It is not like Dubai. Here the wind keeps changing direction and it was pretty challenging.

“But because I was getting good starts I knew I was hitting the ball pretty well. I just had to give myself more time at the crease. The game against Scotland gave me a template for how to play.”

Raza, the UAE captain, lavished praise on his roommate for inspiring the team’s turnaround.

“I am out of superlatives for him,” Raza said. “After the series he had in the [T20 World Cup] qualifier, then to come here and get another player of the series award, he is just a quality batter.

“We have all seen that. The maturity he showed in the last two games was really good to see.”

Overall standings

1. Christopher Froome (GBR/Sky) 68hr 18min 36sec,

2. Fabio Aru (ITA/AST) at 0:18.

3. Romain Bardet (FRA/ALM) 0:23.

4. Rigoberto Uran (COL/CAN) 0:29.

5. Mikel Landa (ESP/SKY) 1:17.

The specs

Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors

Power: Combined output 920hp

Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic

Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km

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Engine: Duel electric motors
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Torque: 1075Nm
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What the law says

Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.

“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.

“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”

If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.

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What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
  • Flexible work arrangements
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  • Financial well-being incentives 
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Name: Akeed

Based: Muscat

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TRAP

Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue

Director: M Night Shyamalan

Rating: 3/5

Our legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

if you go
LIVERPOOL SQUAD

Alisson Becker, Virgil van Dijk, Georginio Wijnaldum, James Milner, Naby Keita, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, Joe Gomez, Adrian, Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Adam Lallana, Andy Lonergan, Xherdan Shaqiri, Andy Robertson, Divock Origi, Curtis Jones, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Neco Williams

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz C200 Coupe


Price, base: Dh201,153
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 204hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 300Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km

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Name: James Mullan

Nationality: Irish

Family: Wife, Pom; and daughters Kate, 18, and Ciara, 13, who attend Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS)

Favourite book or author: “That’s a really difficult question. I’m a big fan of Donna Tartt, The Secret History. I’d recommend that, go and have a read of that.”

Dream: “It would be to continue to have fun and to work with really interesting people, which I have been very fortunate to do for a lot of my life. I just enjoy working with very smart, fun people.”

The biog

Prefers vegetables and fish to meat and would choose salad over pizza

Walks daily as part of regular exercise routine 

France is her favourite country to visit

Has written books and manuals on women’s education, first aid and health for the family

Family: Husband, three sons and a daughter

Fathiya Nadhari's instructions to her children was to give back to the country

The children worked as young volunteers in social, education and health campaigns

Her motto is to never stop working for the country

England Test squad

Ben Stokes (captain), Joe Root, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes, Jack Leach, Alex Lees, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts

 
TOURNAMENT INFO

2018 ICC World Twenty20 Asian Western Regional Qualifier
The top three teams progress to the Asia Qualifier

Thursday results
UAE beat Kuwait by 86 runs
Qatar beat Bahrain by five wickets
Saudi Arabia beat Maldives by 35 runs

Friday fixtures
10am, third-place playoff – Saudi Arabia v Kuwait
3pm, final – UAE v Qatar

Updated: June 09, 2023, 11:55 AM`