Given the gloom that has pervaded the senior men’s UAE cricket team of late, a new dash of colour and can-do spirit should be embraced keenly.
On his first tour with the senior side, Aryansh Sharma is already providing both. The 18-year-old wicketkeeper-batter served 12th-man duties with all the eagerness you might expect of a teenaged trialist, in UAE’s loss against Papua New Guinea in the opening match of their tour to Kathmandu on Friday.
His mint-green boots provide the sparkle. And his enthusiasm to make an impression is just as vivid.
Sharma does not know whether he will get the chance to play in the vital Cricket World Cup League 2 tri-series, but he is grateful to be in with a shout.
Last week, he was part of the UAE side who missed out on qualification for the Under 19 World Cup after a thrilling, if ultimately heartbreaking, game against Nepal in Ajman.
He found out he was set to tour Nepal with the senior team after making a half-century against Singapore in that event.
“It felt amazing because I was the only guy from the U19 side this time who made it into the men’s team,” Sharma said.
“It was overwhelming, and I would like to get a debut game for the team as well now. If I get that, I will try to perform my best.
“I had some nerves but then we had a team meeting and all my new teammates were very friendly with me. From that time onwards I have felt very confident.
“Since then I am just hoping that we win and hopefully we can do well in the series.”
Their start was a poor one. The national team suffered a third consecutive defeat to PNG in the space of two weeks when they went lost out at Tribhuvan University.
They face Nepal at the same venue on Sunday knowing they have to win that, as well as the remaining two games which follow, to safeguard their one-day international status.
Anything less will mean having to vie for that right with PNG, Jersey and Canada at the World Cup Qualifier Play-off in Namibia later this month.
Given the stress of what is at stake, Sharma is glad to have a few familiar faces around for his debut tour.
He is a first-year student at Manipal Academy of Higher Education in Dubai, a seat of learning that has also been attended by fellow tourists Ashwanth Valthapa, Karthik Meiyappan and Aryan Lakra.
Plus, there is fellow teen Aayan Khan, who was his captain in the U19s side last week.
“We were teammates in the last [U19 World Cup in the Caribbean] and in the U19 [Qualifier] he was my captain,” Sharma said.
“It is good to share a dressing room with him and I have got to learn a lot from him because he is a regular senior player. It is good to be around him.
“When I see him, it makes me feel like the U19 kids also have the potential to get into the UAE men’s team, and do really well. Seeing him do that inspired me.
“From now onwards, the journey begins for me, and hopefully I can have a very good cricketing journey.”
Sharma, who lists his new teammate Vriitya Aravind alongside Virat Kohli among his role models in cricket, was born in Ghaziabad, near Delhi, but came to UAE with his family aged two.
He says his initial impressions of Kathmandu remind him of his birthplace.
“Where I am from in India, this place is similar to that,” Sharma said.
“It gives me the vibes of my own place. I feel like Nepal is also my home, so it would be good to play over here. Hopefully, I get a game.
“Nepal and India are similar to each other. If I see anywhere in this country, I feel like, OK, this is similar to India. I feel at home.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
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- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Biography
Favourite Meal: Chicken Caesar salad
Hobbies: Travelling, going to the gym
Inspiration: Father, who was a captain in the UAE army
Favourite read: Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter
Favourite film: The Founder, about the establishment of McDonald's
TEAMS
US Team
Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth
Justin Thomas, Daniel Berger
Brooks Koepka, Rickie Fowler
Kevin Kisner, Patrick Reed
Matt Kuchar, Kevin Chappell
Charley Hoffman*, Phil Mickelson*
International Team
Hideki Matsuyama, Jason Day
Adam Scott, Louis Oosthuizen
Marc Leishman, Charl Schwartzel
Branden Grace, Si Woo Kim
Jhonattan Vegas, Adam Hadwin
Emiliano Grillo*, Anirban Lahiri*
* denotes captain's picks
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
