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.
“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
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
ARGYLLE
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed
Based: Muscat
Launch year: 2018
Number of employees: 40
Sector: Online food delivery
Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception
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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
Read more about the coronavirus
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EClara%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2019%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPatrick%20Rogers%2C%20Lee%20McMahon%2C%20Arthur%20Guest%2C%20Ahmed%20Arif%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ELegalTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%20size%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%244%20million%20of%20seed%20financing%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EWamda%20Capital%2C%20Shorooq%20Partners%2C%20Techstars%2C%20500%20Global%2C%20OTF%2C%20Venture%20Souq%2C%20Knuru%20Capital%2C%20Plug%20and%20Play%20and%20The%20LegalTech%20Fund%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The biog
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
