It is less than a year since the UAE struck their highest one-day international score, racking up a massive 348-3 against a Namibia attack that included franchise-cricket star David Wiese. And yet, so troubled have times been since, that day in Sharjah last March already feels sepia-tinted.
Forget about 300. The national team have managed to reach 200 just twice in their past nine innings in ODIs.
The issue needs addressing fast, because on Thursday, they face a fixture against Nepal in Dubai that could go a long way to deciding their World Cup qualifying fate.
The two sides are vying for the one remaining automatic qualifying berth for the global World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe in June.
Ahead of the encounter, all the momentum appears to be with the touring side. While the UAE’s form has been fitful, at best, Nepal are on a roll having won five ODIs in succession.
In that time, Nepal have surpassed 200 in each innings. Three of those scores were in excess of 275, and the other two were successful run chases. Prior to that, they had gone 11 matches without reaching 200.
The run of form has coincided with the appointment last month of a new coach. The man himself, Monty Desai, a qualified mechanical engineer from Mumbai who was formerly a scout for Rajasthan Royals, says he is at a loss to explain the transformation.
“How has it changed? Even I don’t know, to be honest,” Desai said.
“I am just trying to play my role sincerely. Where we have connected well is that some of the boys have known me since Under-19 times.
“I am guessing they knew that my approach was going to be very similar to what I did at that time. We have been able to build trust together very quickly.
“The importance of roles, the importance of plans, and understanding in what phase of the game that role is important – those are skills we possess, and we have had a lot of healthy conversations around that.”
As well as previously working with Nepal’s age-group sides, one of Desai’s past roles was as batting consultant to the side who he will be hoping to get the better of this week.
He was the batting consultant for the UAE for six months in 2019. He might have stayed, too, had UAE not missed out on the T20 World Cup, after a troubled qualifying campaign that year.
So well-received was his input, for one fixture in the Netherlands the head coach, Dougie Brown, demoted himself in rank and promoted Desai to take the role instead. The UAE won, to complete a T20I series clean sweep.
The players from that time remember a warm-hearted coach who had a habit of writing “happy dressing room” on the board, as well as the Hindi words for “stay together”.
“I do write ‘happy dressing room’ everywhere,” Desai said, after Nepal claimed a four-wicket win over Papua New Guinea earlier this week in Dubai.
“That is part of my coaching philosophy. The most important thing is the environment you create.
“What I mean by happy dressing room is also being able to have some uncomfortable conversations when required.
“Family is a big word. At the moment, having a happy dressing room is about building the team.
“Family requires a lot more character. That doesn’t come overnight. It will happen over a much longer journey, when sometimes you don’t get the results, and it's about how you respond to that.
“Sometimes you feel you deserve to be in X, Y or Z position in the game, but you are being asked to play a different role.
“It is about how you respond to those kinds of requests from the team, and how much you are enjoying others’ success, and how you are off the field in terms of behaviour.
“When we get that, that is when I feel we will be a family, but at the moment we are building a team.”
Desai played down the impact he had in his short stint in UAE cricket, but says he has enjoyed their successes from afar, such as when they qualified for the T20 World Cup in Australia last year.
“They have been showing why they are one of the best Associate sides around, and did well in the World Cup last year,” Desai said.
“For me, it is good to see the transition some of the youngsters have made into the senior team.
“They are a good, solid team. There are no secrets to it about how to tackle them. They are 300-ball battles.”
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
SERIE A FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Sassuolo v Bologna (11.45pm)
Saturday
Brescia v Torino (6pm)
Inter Milan v Verona (9pm)
Napoli v Genoa (11.45pm)
Sunday
Cagliari v Verona (3.30pm)
Udinese v SPAL (6pm)
Sampdoria v Atalanta (6pm)
Lazio v Lecce (6pm)
Parma v Roma (9pm)
Juventus v Milan (11.45pm)
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
More from Armen Sarkissian
Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Stormy seas
Weather warnings show that Storm Eunice is soon to make landfall. The videographer and I are scrambling to return to the other side of the Channel before it does. As we race to the port of Calais, I see miles of wire fencing topped with barbed wire all around it, a silent ‘Keep Out’ sign for those who, unlike us, aren’t lucky enough to have the right to move freely and safely across borders.
We set sail on a giant ferry whose length dwarfs the dinghies migrants use by nearly a 100 times. Despite the windy rain lashing at the portholes, we arrive safely in Dover; grateful but acutely aware of the miserable conditions the people we’ve left behind are in and of the privilege of choice.
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
Winners
Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski
Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea
Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona
Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)
Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)
Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Best National Team of the Year: Italy
Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello
Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)
Player Career Award: Ronaldinho
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Race card
6.30pm: Emirates Holidays Maiden (TB), Dh82,500 (Dirt), 1,900m
7.05pm: Arabian Adventures Maiden (TB), Dh82,500 (D), 1,200m
7.40pm: Emirates Skywards Handicap (TB), Dh82,500 (D), 1,200m
8.15pm: Emirates Airline Conditions (TB), Dh120,000 (D), 1,400m
8.50pm: Emirates Sky Cargo (TB), Dh92,500 (D)1,400m
9.15pm: Emirates.com (TB), Dh95,000 (D), 2,000m
