Rohan Mustafa put his bromance with one of world cricket’s most in-form players on hold for a little over three hours on Saturday evening, and ended up with the bragging rights.
Sikandar Raza, the Zimbabwe all-rounder, treated Mustafa to dinner with the proceeds from an award he won for hitting the UAE player for six in their DP World International League T20 fixture.
But it was Mustafa who was able to laugh loudest, after helping his Desert Vipers side to a win over Dubai Capitals – and dismissing Raza in the process.
“His wicket is a big wicket because he has been in such good touch,” Mustafa said. “If he had stayed at the crease, they might have chased it easily.”
At 85 for four in the 14th over, the Capitals had been well placed to chase the 150 they had been set by the Vipers at the Dubai International Stadium.
Then Mustafa had Raza caught at the wicket by Sam Billings, and the Capitals ended up 12 runs short at the end. After play had finished, they were mates again.
“We really had fun after that,” Mustafa said. “I got him out in [the Abu Dhabi] T10 and now ILT20. He said he had hit me for two sixes but I said that didn’t matter because I had the last laugh.
“He ordered food for us because he had won $1,500 for hitting the longest six – off me.”
The UAE all-rounder, whose own father died when Mustafa was a teenager, says he keeps in regular contact with Raza’s dad, Tasadaq Butt. He said he was not sure what he was going to write after their latest duel in Dubai.
“His father messages me all the time,” Mustafa said. “After the third match he messaged me. It feels like my father messaging me because he cares so much. I asked him what I will tell your father, because I got his son’s wicket again.
“I took a picture and posted it on Insta saying: ‘My bunny is with me.’ It was good fun.”
Raza was nominated for the ICC’s top individual award for his extraordinary feats for Zimbabwe last year. He was named in both the T20 team of 2023, and the one-day international one, and Mustafa is thrilled about his friend’s success.
“I am really happy with how well he is doing, and I am always messaging him to tell him,” Mustafa said. “He is my friend and I am proud of the fact he is able to play in all of the leagues, except for BBL and hopefully he can play that one, too. My prayers are with him and for his country.”
Mustafa missed out on a place in the UAE squad for the T20 World Cup in Australia in October.
However, he has been one of the few UAE players that have excelled in the ILT20 so far, and will be pushing for a recall to the side when they play a three-match series against Afghanistan next month.
The national team will face the Afghans in Abu Dhabi on February 16, 18 and 19.
How Islam's view of posthumous transplant surgery changed
Transplants from the deceased have been carried out in hospitals across the globe for decades, but in some countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, the practise was banned until relatively recently.
Opinion has been divided as to whether organ donations from a deceased person is permissible in Islam.
The body is viewed as sacred, during and after death, thus prohibiting cremation and tattoos.
One school of thought viewed the removal of organs after death as equally impermissible.
That view has largely changed, and among scholars and indeed many in society, to be seen as permissible to save another life.
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
SPECS
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Credits
Produced by: Colour Yellow Productions and Eros Now
Director: Mudassar Aziz
Cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Jimmy Sheirgill, Jassi Gill, Piyush Mishra, Diana Penty, Aparshakti Khurrana
Star rating: 2.5/5
Section 375
Cast: Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha, Meera Chopra & Rahul Bhat
Director: Ajay Bahl
Producers: Kumar Mangat Pathak, Abhishek Pathak & SCIPL
Rating: 3.5/5
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
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Takreem Awards winners 2021
Corporate Leadership: Carl Bistany (Lebanon)
Cultural Excellence: Hoor Al Qasimi (UAE)
Environmental Development and Sustainability: Bkerzay (Lebanon)
Environmental Development and Sustainability: Raya Ani (Iraq)
Humanitarian and Civic Services: Women’s Programs Association (Lebanon)
Humanitarian and Civic Services: Osamah Al Thini (Libya)
Excellence in Education: World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) (Qatar)
Outstanding Arab Woman: Balghis Badri (Sudan)
Scientific and Technological Achievement: Mohamed Slim Alouini (KSA)
Young Entrepreneur: Omar Itani (Lebanon)
Lifetime Achievement: Suad Al Amiry (Palestine)
I Care A Lot
Directed by: J Blakeson
Starring: Rosamund Pike, Peter Dinklage
3/5 stars
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
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Mane points for safe home colouring
- Natural and grey hair takes colour differently than chemically treated hair
- Taking hair from a dark to a light colour should involve a slow transition through warmer stages of colour
- When choosing a colour (especially a lighter tone), allow for a natural lift of warmth
- Most modern hair colours are technique-based, in that they require a confident hand and taught skills
- If you decide to be brave and go for it, seek professional advice and use a semi-permanent colour
Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face
The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.
The Equaliser 2
Director Antoine Fuqua
Starring: Denzel Washington, Bill Pullman, Melissa Leo, Ashton Sanders
Three stars
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