Judging by the way they go about batting together, Alex Hales and Rohan Mustafa do not need to chat much. “Just smash it”, “nice one,” and “go again” is probably about the extent of it.
If the harem-scarem, blink-and-you-miss-it Desert Vipers opening duo were to sit down for any length of time, though, they might have vaguely similar war stories to trade. In specific, ones about World Cup heartbreak.
Hales was stood down from the England side who were about to embark on winning the 50-over World Cup for the first time in 2019.
Less famously, Mustafa was omitted from the UAE team for their trip to the T20 version last year. Had he made the cut, he would have become the first UAE player to feature in three global events.
Now Hales can at least tell his own redemption story. After a three-year exile, he returned to England colours to play a key role in them winning the T20 World Cup in Australia in November.
Mustafa, by contrast, is still recovering from the hurt of missing out. In November, he said the pain of it “will remain in my heart forever”.
Clearly, Mustafa is a man on a mission. Along with young whizz-kid Aayan Khan, he was the national team’s outstanding player on their first engagement after the World Cup, a lost series in Nepal.
His start to life as Desert Vipers player in the DP World International League T20 has been eye-catching, too. He has been restored to the top of the batting order – a role he has not served for some years now for UAE – and he has delivered on what has been asked him.
Most notably in their win over Abu Dhabi Knight Riders on Wednesday night, when he got the innings off to a flier with 23 from 11 balls.
“When I signed for them I said I wanted an opportunity, and that I wanted to bowl at good times,” Mustafa said.
“They said I would get to bowl and that they had confidence in me. We went to the nets, and I started hitting.
“They said, ‘Do you open? Or do you want to bat No 7?’ I said open because at No 7 I would not get so many opportunities.
“Then they said what I had to do was go and hit the ball. 'From the first ball or the second, we just want you to hit the ball.'
“They told me, ‘If you score 20-25 runs in nine or 10 balls, that is a big thing for us.’ In the practice match, I hit a six first ball. They told me I just need to go like that and I will open in the ILT20.”
Mustafa is thrilled to be batting alongside a player he regards as one of the best in the game.
“Opening with Alex Hales is a big opportunity,” Mustafa, 34, said.
“We are playing against some of the best players in the world. If we do well, we can take confidence from that, whoever it is from the national team.
“Alex Hales is one of the world’s best batsmen. Whenever I hit a good shot, he would tell me I had, and give me confidence.
“I hit [a four off Lahiru Kumara] and he said, ‘Amazing shot, you used the pace really well.’ He said to just keep doing well, don’t lose your shape, and whenever it is in my area, to go for it.”
Mustafa says whatever he does with the bat is unlikely to herald a return to the top of the order for UAE, given the riches the national team possess in that position.
Muhammad Waseem, for example, has been in sparkling touch for MI Emirates, which is something Mustafa says he has been celebrating on the national team’s WhatsApp group.
“Whenever I see a UAE player doing well I feel very happy,” he said.
“I have been with UAE a long, long time. I always say they should trust us. Sanchit [Sharma] got man of the match [in his opening match for Gulf Giants]. Zahoor [Khan] did very well [for MI Emirates].
“We are contributing however we can. Once you get a start like that, you get confidence. I always tell the younger players, the only thing different between us and other players is confidence and experience.
“If you do well in these leagues, someone will see us and they will call us for their leagues.”
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Palestine and Israel - live updates
Company%20Profile
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The%20BaaS%20ecosystem
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The%20specs
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Tottenham's 10 biggest transfers (according to transfermarkt.com):
1). Moussa Sissokho - Newcastle United - £30 million (Dh143m): Flop
2). Roberto Soldado - Valencia - £25m: Flop
3). Erik Lamela - Roma - £25m: Jury still out
4). Son Heung-min - Bayer Leverkusen - £25m: Success
5). Darren Bent - Charlton Athletic - £21m: Flop
6). Vincent Janssen - AZ Alkmaar - £18m: Flop
7). David Bentley - Blackburn Rovers - £18m: Flop
8). Luka Modric - Dynamo Zagreb - £17m: Success
9). Paulinho - Corinthians - £16m: Flop
10). Mousa Dembele - Fulham - £16m: Success
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
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
MATCH INFO
Hoffenheim v Liverpool
Uefa Champions League play-off, first leg
Location: Rhein-Neckar-Arena, Sinsheim
Kick-off: Tuesday, 10.45pm (UAE)
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 1 Chelsea 0
De Bruyne (70')
Man of the Match: Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
The permutations for UAE going to the 2018 World Cup finals
To qualify automatically
UAE must beat Iraq.
Australia must lose in Japan and at home to Thailand, with their losing margins and the UAE's winning margin over Iraq being enough to overturn a goal difference gap of eight.
Saudi Arabia must lose to Japan, with their losing margin and the UAE's winning margin over Iraq being enough to overturn a goal difference gap of eight.
To finish third and go into a play-off with the other third-placed AFC side for a chance to reach the inter-confederation play-off match
UAE must beat Iraq.
Saudi Arabia must lose to Japan, with their losing margin and the UAE's winning margin over Iraq being enough to overturn a goal difference gap of eight.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: N2 Technology
Founded: 2018
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Startups
Size: 14
Funding: $1.7m from HNIs
RIVER%20SPIRIT
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The%20end%20of%20Summer
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESmartCrowd%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2018%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESiddiq%20Farid%20and%20Musfique%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%20%2F%20PropTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24650%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2035%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeries%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVarious%20institutional%20investors%20and%20notable%20angel%20investors%20(500%20MENA%2C%20Shurooq%2C%20Mada%2C%20Seedstar%2C%20Tricap)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Getting there
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.
The stay
Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.
Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com
