The two stars above the crest on Daren Sammy’s training shirt are a reminder of just how heavy the burden of expectation can be for a West Indies cricket coach.
They bring to mind the two World Cup titles secured when the Caribbean side were the sport’s superpower, back in 1975 and 1979. Days which are long since passed, but against which all West Indies sides still seem to be measured.
Happily for Sammy they work just as well as a proof of his credentials. The two stars could as easily refer to the global titles the Windies claimed in T20 cricket in 2012 and 2016, each of which was achieved with him as captain.
The world of cricket might have caught up with the West Indies in the old formats, but the landscape of the sport is entirely different now, too. The region remains a hotbed for cricket talent, especially in T20.
Players from the Caribbean are among the most sought after in franchise cricket. The region’s representative side have suffered at times because of that, with access to the star players not always the given it once was.
Sammy, who has been installed as the new white-ball coach for the West Indies, knows the difficulties all too well. They were there in 2012 and 2016, after all, and look how that turned out.
“I understand the challenges that come with [being West Indies coach], but we look at the squad we have here and there are exciting young talents coming through,” Sammy, 39, told The National.
“We can work with them to help move their cricket and West Indies cricket forward. There are exciting times ahead.”
As a barometer of their standing in one-day international cricket at the start of Sammy’s tenure, West Indies are just about to compete in a Cricket World Cup Qualifier for the second time in a row.
They scraped through to make it to the main event four years ago and are back in Harare going through the same precarious process all over again. They sit 10th in the ICC’s ODI standings, and seventh in T20 internationals.
The first impressions of Sammy’s new era were positive, though, albeit on a track that was literally and figuratively about as flat as it gets.
Against an experimental and youthful UAE side in Sharjah last week, a similarly new-look touring side picked up a 3-0 series clean sweep.
That was achieved even without the likes of Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph and Kyle Mayers, who were resting after their Indian Premier League exploits and who have subsequently joined them in Harare.
Sammy has some principles he wants his team to live by, with hard work being the underlying one.
“I have come up with a slogan: we are enough, and we have enough,” Sammy said.
“It is about putting in the work. Like my mum said, you have to stand up for something.
“I have stood up for a few things in my life, and I have been punished for it. But at the end of the day, it’s about bringing that culture and positive mindset.
“We want a good work ethic. We first had to identify where we are as a team which is [10th] in the world, then work out what it takes to be an elite performing team.
“We need to start taking steps in that direction, whether it be skills, whether it be mindset, whether it be preparation. All the things that will contribute to us being more consistent as a team.
“We have started the process and there are exciting times ahead, but I understand the challenges facing us.”
Sammy is the figurehead of a backroom staff that includes former Guyanese batting star Carl Hooper, and former New Zealand all-rounder James Franklin. West Indies greats Jimmy Adams and Desmond Haynes were also in Sharjah, as director of cricket and selector respectively.
Despite such an illustrious think tank, Sammy is strong in his own views, too, such as wanting his side to go on the attack.
“The good thing about it is that captain Shai [Hope], myself and [vice-captain Rovman Powell] share the same vision,” Sammy said.
“That is to take on the game, challenge ourselves, not lay down, but be able to throw the first punch.
“For years, we have been trying to hang in the fight, if you know the opposition is coming to knock you out.
“If you can throw the first punch, so that by the time they get up the fight is so far gone that you are able to win it.
“It will take little steps, but it is about understanding the road and journey ahead, and really committing to the things we say we want to do, in order to move forward.”
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
Sri Lanka v England
First Test, at Galle
England won by 211
Second Test, at Kandy
England won by 57 runs
Third Test, at Colombo
From Nov 23-27
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
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Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- 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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The five pillars of Islam
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
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.
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The%20specs
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Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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