The UAE maintained their place in third in the Cricket World Cup League 2 table after winning two matches and losing two on their tour of Texas.
That was short of what Ahmed Raza, the side’s captain, has hoped for when the side set out on their 26,000km round trip last week.
Still, though, it represented quite the show of character after their were comfortably beaten in their opening two games, first by Scotland, then hosts United States.
The whistle-stop tour to the other side of the world provided some notable positives for the national team, but threw up some questions, too.
New superlatives, please
Three times in recent months, Raza has started a post-match presentation by saying about his young batting colleague, Vriitya Aravind: “I’ve run out of superlatives for him.”
This was another tour in which Aravind sealed the player of the series award with some remarkable strokeplay. Just as he did in helping UAE to T20 World Cup qualification earlier in the year.
He made a fifty and then a hundred in the two matches UAE won, and in so doing became just the third teenager to notch two ODI centuries.
He only turns 20 on Saturday. Would it be greedy to think his best could still be ahead of him?
Dynamic duo
Since February, Aravind and Chirag Suri have shared three century partnerships in ODI cricket for the UAE, against Oman, Namibia and now United States.
The 125 they shared against the home team in Texas allowed UAE to make light work of what might have been a tricky run chase.
“They complement each other,” Raza said of the top-order duo.
“They run well together, they have complementary games, and they are really good friends off the field, which I think helps.”
Bench strength
The back-to-back wins against USA and Scotland were remarkable for a couple of reasons.
First, they had been way off in the first two games. Second, they were without the unwell Junaid Siddique and Rohan Mustafa, who had succumbed to a shoulder injury sustained while fielding in the first match.
Mustafa has been a pillar of the side for years, and Siddique had established himself as the side’s pace-bowling spearhead in recent times.
And yet those who came off the bench thrived.
“The players who came in – Karthik Meiyappan, Zawar Farid, Akif Raja – they contributed so much,” Raza said.
CP’s comeback
For all the excellence of Aravind and Suri with the bat, the most consistent of UAE’s batters on tour was a player who might have been fearful for his place before the squad was announced.
CP Rizwan had endured a troubled couple of series last time out in this competition.
He had been light on runs, scored those that he did slowly, and even had his collar felt by the match referee for showing disappointment at an umpiring decision.
He proved his class in Texas, though – and much to the delight of his teammates.
He was the second-highest run-getter on tour for UAE, behind Aravind, with scores of 55, 67, 30 and 26 not out.
And his heroically odd bowling action even brought him a first international wicket, too – the prized one of Scotland’s Richie Berrington.
Given the mass bundle in the celebrations that followed, it is clear Rizwan is a highly popular member of the UAE line up.
Scheduling issues
Although they did well to turn the tide and beat two in-form sides in consecutive days at the end of the series, Raza rued the four points which got away at the start.
“That hurt us a lot,” the captain said. “It was two points to Scotland, who are above us on the points table. Winning that game would have helped.
“We have to learn from the losses. Hopefully we don’t repeat this in future when we go away.”
One way to help them would be to arrange at least one practice game before the serious business starts next time on tour, which will be against the same opposition in Scotland in August.
Flying in a couple of days before, from the height of UAE summer, will handicap the side. They deserve better than that.
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
MATCH INFO
Iceland 0 England 1 (Sterling pen 90 1)
Man of the match Kari Arnason (Iceland)
RESULTS
6.30pm Handicap (TB) $68,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
Winner Canvassed, Par Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)
7.05pm Meydan Cup – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (Turf) 2,810m
Winner Dubai Future, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
7.40pm UAE 2000 Guineas – Group 3 (TB) $125,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner Mouheeb, Ryan Curatolo, Nicholas Bachalard
8.15pm Firebreak Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner Secret Ambition, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
9.50pm Meydan Classic – Conditions (TB) $$50,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner Topper Bill, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
9.25pm Dubai Sprint – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,200m
Winner Man Of Promise, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
RESULTS
Women:
55kg brown-black belt: Amal Amjahid (BEL) bt Amanda Monteiro (BRA) via choke
62kg brown-black belt: Bianca Basilio (BRA) bt Ffion Davies (GBR) via referee’s decision (0-0, 2-2 adv)
70kg brown-black belt: Ana Carolina Vieira (BRA) bt Jessica Swanson (USA), 9-0
90kg brown-black belt: Angelica Galvao (USA) bt Marta Szarecka (POL) 8-2
Men:
62kg black belt: Joao Miyao (BRA) bt Wan Ki-chae (KOR), 7-2
69kg black belt: Paulo Miyao (BRA) bt Gianni Grippo (USA), 2-2 (1-0 adv)
77kg black belt: Espen Mathiesen (NOR) bt Jake Mackenzie (CAN)
85kg black belt: Isaque Braz (BRA) bt Faisal Al Ketbi (UAE), 2-0
94kg black belt: Felipe Pena (BRA) bt Adam Wardzinski (POL), 4-0
110kg black belt final: Erberth Santos (BRA) bt Lucio Rodrigues (GBR) via rear naked choke
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
RESULT
West Brom 2 Liverpool 2
West Brom: Livermore (79'), Rondón (88' )
Liverpool: Ings (4'), Salah (72')
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The%C2%A0specs%20
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE BIO
Favourite place to go to in the UAE: The desert sand dunes, just after some rain
Who inspires you: Anybody with new and smart ideas, challenging questions, an open mind and a positive attitude
Where would you like to retire: Most probably in my home country, Hungary, but with frequent returns to the UAE
Favorite book: A book by Transilvanian author, Albert Wass, entitled ‘Sword and Reap’ (Kard es Kasza) - not really known internationally
Favourite subjects in school: Mathematics and science
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%204-cyl%20turbo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E190hp%20at%205%2C600rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E320Nm%20at%201%2C500-4%2C000rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10.9L%2F100km%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh119%2C900%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4.0-litre%20flat%206-cylinder%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7-speed%20PDK%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E500hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E450Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDh530%2C300%20as%20tested%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
Chelsea 3 (Abraham 11', 17', 74')
Luton Town 1 (Clark 30')
Man of the match Abraham (Chelsea)
TOURNAMENT INFO
Fixtures
Sunday January 5 - Oman v UAE
Monday January 6 - UAE v Namibia
Wednesday January 8 - Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 - Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 - UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid, Darius D’Silva, Karthik Meiyappan, Jonathan Figy, Vriitya Aravind, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Chirag Suri
3%20Body%20Problem
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