Ethan D’Souza seems to always have a smile on his face. That is likely to remain there for the foreseeable future with the 16-year-old becoming one of the youngest ever players to be drafted into the Abu Dhabi T10.
D’Souza was taken in by Team Abu Dhabi for the T10 tournament later this year. He will join the 16-player squad in season six of the competition that takes place at the Zayed Cricket Stadium from November 23 to December 4.
For the dashing left-handed opener and off-spinner from the Zayed Cricket Academy, the opportunity is “incredible”.
“It’s going to be an incredible experience to share the dressing room with renowned professionals of franchise cricket,” D’Souza, who made his debut for the Abu Dhabi team at Emirates D20 in June, told The National.
“I’m very excited and looking forward to it. I want to soak in the good moments as much as possible and learn from them, particularly their lifestyles both on and off the field, their training and preparations ahead of a game.”
D’Souza will spend two to three weeks with the likes of Australian Chris Lynn, Fabian Allen of the West Indies, Afghanistan quick Naveen ul Haq, and England’s Adil Rashid, Phil Salt and Jamie Overton.
“This is the biggest moment of my cricket after representing the Abu Dhabi team,” he said.
“It will be interesting to learn from the technical staff and players on how they prepare game plans and assess the team’s performances after every game. For me, to be in the side is great and I wish I get an opportunity to get on to the field.”
D’Souza was playing a practice match at the Zayed Cricket Stadium at the time of the draft but it got over by the time local players were announced.
“I didn’t want to think too much about the draft but at the end of the game, my teammates were able to watch the part when my name was announced,” he said.
“My teammates hugged and congratulated me. I was very happy and enjoyed that moment.”
D’Souza has been playing cricket since he was three. His father enrolled him at Zayed Cricket Academy when he was seven-and-a-half.
“It was fun at first,” he said of his early days in cricket. “I just enjoyed playing with the other boys. At 13 it started to change and I wanted to play seriously and at a better level.
“I started to work harder to improve my game all round. Fortunately I was provided with the break earlier than I thought, to represent the academy team.”
D’Souza’s parents John and Sharmila have been his biggest supporters, with his father guiding his cricket journey and mother helping him in his studies.
“My parents haven’t put pressure that I have to get high marks in my exams and that’s helped me to spend more time to develop my cricket. I have managed to balance my studies and sports, though,” he explained.
D’Souza’s performance, particularly his fielding, in the Emirates D20 came for high praise from all teams. That earned him the nickname “Tiger”.
He played all 12 games, taking nine catches and was involved in two runs outs, one of which was a direct hit. That was in addition to around a dozen runs he would save for his team almost every game.
“In the Emirates D20, we reached the final and that’s an achievement we had never got before. So that was a real good moment in my first appearance at this level,” the teenager said.
“I enjoy fielding and want to save as many runs as possible for my team.”
One of the reasons for his athleticism is that he also plays football and basketball.
“Being quick on the field has just come from playing matches, and the football and basketball I play when I don’t play cricket.”
D’Souza, a Grade 11 pupil at Abu Dhabi Indian School, is in the UAE U19 pool and working towards his goal of making it to the final squad.
“Everyone from my parents, the academy management, coaches and fellow colleagues as well as members of the Abu Dhabi men’s team have encouraged and supported me in my cricket journey,” D’Souza said.
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Power: 272hp at 6,400rpm
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Founder: Abdulla Almoayed
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Founded: 2017
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How to join and use Abu Dhabi’s public libraries
• There are six libraries in Abu Dhabi emirate run by the Department of Culture and Tourism, including one in Al Ain and Al Dhafra.
• Libraries are free to visit and visitors can consult books, use online resources and study there. Most are open from 8am to 8pm on weekdays, closed on Fridays and have variable hours on Saturdays, except for Qasr Al Watan which is open from 10am to 8pm every day.
• In order to borrow books, visitors must join the service by providing a passport photograph, Emirates ID and a refundable deposit of Dh400. Members can borrow five books for three weeks, all of which are renewable up to two times online.
• If users do not wish to pay the fee, they can still use the library’s electronic resources for free by simply registering on the website. Once registered, a username and password is provided, allowing remote access.
• For more information visit the library network's website.
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What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
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Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
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In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
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Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Key facilities
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Overall head-to-head
Federer 6-1 Cilic
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Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
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