Hassan Khan Eisakhil says he would welcome a call to represent his adopted homeland of the UAE. Pawan Singh / The National
Hassan Khan Eisakhil says he would welcome a call to represent his adopted homeland of the UAE. Pawan Singh / The National
Hassan Khan Eisakhil says he would welcome a call to represent his adopted homeland of the UAE. Pawan Singh / The National
Hassan Khan Eisakhil says he would welcome a call to represent his adopted homeland of the UAE. Pawan Singh / The National

As Mohammed Nabi gets set for World Cup with Afghanistan, son Hassan Khan eyes UAE chance


Paul Radley
  • English
  • Arabic

Hassan Khan Eisakhil says he would be “more than happy” to represent UAE if selected.

The 17-year-old batter is a resident of Ajman and a member of the Sharjah Cricket Academy.

He has been playing senior men’s cricket in the UAE for some time now, while a number of his age-group colleagues have already graduated to the senior national team.

However, Eisakhil also has a strong allegiance elsewhere. He is essentially Afghan cricket royalty, as the son of that country’s great all-rounder Mohammed Nabi.

While Nabi is in India preparing to start his third World Cup for Afghanistan against Bangladesh in Dharamshala on Saturday, Eisakhil is back in Dubai trying to make his own way in the game.

He is playing for Thunderbolts in the International League T20 development tournament in Dubai.

The competition provides a platform for locally based players to promote their skills to the six franchises of the main event, which will take place in January and February next year.

Not all of the players involved are qualified to play for the UAE as yet, but all had to signal their intention to play for the national team if the chance does come their way in the future.

Eisakhil said he would be proud if he was selected for his country of residence.

“I’m happy to be playing in this tournament as it is a very good opportunity to play with better players and get a chance to try for the main ILT20,” Eisakhil said.

“I am living here, working hard and doing my best in UAE cricket.

“It would be a very happy moment if the cricket board approached me and asked me to play a game.

“I would be more than happy to serve UAE as we live here, we don’t live in Afghanistan. It would make me proud.”

Hassan Khan Eisakhil of Thunderbolts in action during the ILT20 development tournament held at ICC academy in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
Hassan Khan Eisakhil of Thunderbolts in action during the ILT20 development tournament held at ICC academy in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

Eisakhil would qualify to play for the UAE on the basis of the ICC’s three-year-residency rule.

ICC rules also stipulate that it would not rule him out of playing for Afghanistan if he did feel the lure of his homeland in the future.

Because Afghanistan are a full member of the ICC, he could continue playing for an associate nation without any coolling off period if he was then picked by them.

However, he feels an affinity with the UAE, and players such as his age-group peer Aayan Khan, who has already established himself as a regular in the senior national team.

Aayan is a friend of mine and we have played together for a few years,” Eisakhil said.

“It is not about how young you are, it is about whether you can perform in this kind of tournament. Whoever performs on a platform like this deserves their chance.

“I have this opportunity and I am trying my best. It would be great to play in season two of ILT20 and I am working hard for that.”

Eisakhil has no plans to travel to India to watch Nabi in action at the World Cup, as he is focused on his own development in the game instead.

“My dad is over there, he is happy, and my prayers are with him, but I am trying to focus on my career,” he said.

“After this tournament there is a D50 tournament, and I am focused on doing well in that and my cricket.”

War 2

Director: Ayan Mukerji

Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana

Rating: 2/5

If you go

The flights

Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Chicago from Dh5,215 return including taxes.

The hotels

Recommended hotels include the Intercontinental Chicago Magnificent Mile, located in an iconic skyscraper complete with a 1929 Olympic-size swimming pool from US$299 (Dh1,100) per night including taxes, and the Omni Chicago Hotel, an excellent value downtown address with elegant art deco furnishings and an excellent in-house restaurant. Rooms from US$239 (Dh877) per night including taxes. 

England Test squad

Joe Root (captain), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Sam Curran, Keaton Jennings, Dawid Malan, Jamie Porter, Adil Rashid, Ben Stokes.

THE SIXTH SENSE

Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Rating: 5/5

BMW M5 specs

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Power: 727hp

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england euro squad

Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Man Utd), Sam Johnstone (West Brom), Jordan Pickford (Everton)

Defenders: John Stones (Man City), Luke Shaw (Man Utd), Harry Maguire (Man Utd), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Kyle Walker (Man City), Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa), Reece James (Chelsea), Conor Coady (Wolves), Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Kieran Trippier (Atletico Madrid)

Midfielders: Mason Mount (Chelsea), Declan Rice (West Ham), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Kalvin Phillips (Leeds)

Forwards: Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus Rashford (Man Utd), Raheem Sterling (Man City), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton), Phil Foden (Man City), Jack Grealish (Aston Villa), Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)

MATCH INFO

Everton 2 Southampton 1
Everton: Walcott (15'), Richarlison (31' )
Southampton: Ings (54')

Man of the match: Theo Walcott (Everton)

F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

While you're here
Profile

Co-founders of the company: Vilhelm Hedberg and Ravi Bhusari

Launch year: In 2016 ekar launched and signed an agreement with Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi. In January 2017 ekar launched in Dubai in a partnership with the RTA.

Number of employees: Over 50

Financing stage: Series B currently being finalised

Investors: Series A - Audacia Capital 

Sector of operation: Transport

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

 

 

Key findings of Jenkins report
  • Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
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Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
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Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

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Kerb weight: 1580kg

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Updated: October 06, 2023, 8:33 AM`