Those who believe cricket had turned into a contest between two or three strong teams with the rest just making up the numbers must be pleasantly surprised at how 2024 turned out.
Sure, India won the T20 World Cup and continued to dominate the format throughout the year, while the usual suspects did admirably in the Test format. But just when the year seemed to be heading down a well-trodden path, some unexpected turns injected fresh life into the game.
India were at the receiving end of some of those surprising twists. The tour of Sri Lanka was supposed to be the beginning of a new era as Gautam Gambhir took over as full-time coach of a full-strength Indian team. What ended up happening was a whitewash for India at the hands of a resurgent Sri Lankan team under the tutelage of their own talismanic coach, Sanath Jayasuriya.
India were in for an even bigger shock later in the year when a below strength New Zealand side blanked them 3-0 in a home Test series – the first ever in the country’s history which also ended their 12-year unbeaten run in Tests as hosts.
There were startling results elsewhere too. Pakistan, who had long been plagued by sudden changes in captaincy, team management, and board structure, made one last attempt to get their cricket back on track and stumbled on an incredibly successful mix of players and strategy.
After losing the first Test to England at home, Pakistan overhauled its team mid-series, artificially dried the playing surface for the remaining two Tests, brought in veteran spinners from the domestic circuit and went about dismantling the England line-up en route to an incredible come-from-behind 2-1 series win.
Even though Babar Azam was no longer the captain, Pakistan flourished. ODI series wins were completed in Australia and then South Africa, which has put self-belief back into the team in green. And that, too, just before they get ready to host the 50-over Champions Trophy early next year.
England had quite the year as well. They started with a morale crushing 4-1 Test series defeat in India, did not impress in the T20 World Cup, and also capitulated in Pakistan against spin. However, in familiar conditions, they were quite the sight to behold; they lost just one out of six Tests at home. And in New Zealand, they dominated a side that had just blanked India.
However, none of those results could match the impact left by the retirement of one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time – James Anderson. The veteran seamer wanted to go on for a few more years but was told that his time was up. Thankfully, Anderson got to hang up his boots in near perfect style – with a win at Lord’s. Unlike India spin great Ravichandran Ashwin, who hastily announced his retirement from international cricket after finding himself out of the team in the ongoing Australia series.
As the year draws to a close, some other big names will be wondering if their time is up as well. India captain Rohit Sharma and star batsman Virat Kohli are fighting to not only hold on to the Border Gavaskar Trophy but also their spots in the team. If both fail in the last two Tests against Australia, there is every chance we might see one or both players just one more time – in the Champions Trophy.
With the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and many other young players ready to take over, the writing is sadly on the wall for India's greats.
Closer home, the UAE continued to struggle in ODI cricket and even a change in captaincy, with Rahul Chopra in charge, did not spark a turnaround in their World Cup League 2 campaign.
Beyond bat and ball, the annual display of fabulous wealth – the IPL player auction – did not disappoint. Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer both landed record contracts worth more than $3 million, making them the most expensive players in the history of the league.
However, there was a disconcerting report that the money train might be slowing down.
Former ICC chairman Greg Barclay said that funds in the game are drying up and the next broadcast deal of international tournaments could witness a significant correction, resulting in far less revenue for the governing body and smaller shares of the pie for mid-tier cricket boards who rely on the ICC for the bulk of their funding.
For now, the game goes on.
Highlight of the year – India’s stars finally win a world title
It would have been a travesty if the team that shone so brightly over the last few seasons across formats did not have a single world global to show for their efforts. India came close to lifting the ODI world title, only for Australia to crush their dreams last year. But early this year. Rohit’s team finally ended their decade-long wait for a world title following a dramatic final against South Africa. Finally, Rohit, Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and the rest could be called champions.
Comeback of the year – Pakistan
It is incredible what a clear plan of action and the right personnel can achieve in a short span. Just when it seemed Pakistan were on the verge of sliding further down the pecking order across all formats, they hit the reset button once again. This time, everything clicked into place.
The tactic of playing experienced spinners Sajid Khan and Noman Ali on slow turners against England proved a masterstroke as Pakistan fought back to win the home series many thought was long gone. Then, under Rizwan as the white ball captain, a rejuvenated pace attack of Afridi, Naseem and Haris Rauf began to dominate short-format cricket again, securing remarkable ODI series wins in Australia and South Africa.
Specialist white-ball players like Saim Ayub, Salman Agha and Muqeem have flourished and it looks like Pakistan cricket is back to its best, and that too just a few months after many had warned of its demise.
Souring the mood, however, was the way the Pakistan establishment forced renowned coaches like Gary Kirsten and Jason Gillespie out of the team with very little warning.
Performer of the year – Joe Root
It was the year when it finally dawned on cricket fans than many records in longer formats might remain forever as fewer and fewer players are reaching the decade mark in the sport. Anderson retired as the most successful fast bowler with more than 700 Test wickets - a record that will never be broken. In batting, it was thought that Sachin Tendulkar's record of 15,921 Test runs would stand forever as there is only one active cricketer who has even crossed the 10,000-run mark. That player, Root, however galloped towards the 13,000-run milestone after a fabulous year in which he accumulated more than 1,500 runs at an average of 55. At this rate, Root might need just a season and a half to break the last great record in Test cricket.
And when he does call it a day, Root – like Anderson – will reach a mark no other Test player will ever come close to.
Surprise of the year – New Zealand
There was very little for New Zealand to celebrate this year. They did not even qualify for the Super Eight stage of the T20 World Cup, while star batsman Kane Williamson struggled with fitness for a large part of the year. They also lost badly at home to England in Tests.
But there was one bright spot. It was so bright, it blinded some of the biggest names in the sport. Despite missing Williamson, New Zealand's inexperienced side pulled off what no other team had ever managed - a three-match Test series whitewash in India. Against a full-strength Indian team on wickets tailormade for the home team, New Zealand beat India at their own game.
The series result all but ended India's hopes of qualifying for the World Test Championship final, hastened the exit of Ashwin and forced the Indian team to look at new faces to replace the ageing greats.
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
The%20specs%20
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Company Profile
Company name: Fine Diner
Started: March, 2020
Co-founders: Sami Elayan, Saed Elayan and Zaid Azzouka
Based: Dubai
Industry: Technology and food delivery
Initial investment: Dh75,000
Investor: Dtec Startupbootcamp
Future plan: Looking to raise $400,000
Total sales: Over 1,000 deliveries in three months
Brief scores:
Toss: Rajputs, elected to field first
Sindhis 94-6 (10 ov)
Watson 42; Munaf 3-20
Rajputs 96-0 (4 ov)
Shahzad 74 not out
Brief scores:
Toss: Sindhis, elected to field first
Pakhtoons 137-6 (10 ov)
Fletcher 68 not out; Cutting 2-14
Sindhis 129-8 (10 ov)
Perera 47; Sohail 2-18
Saturday's results
Brighton 1-1 Leicester City
Everton 1-0 Cardiff City
Manchester United 0-0 Crystal Palace
Watford 0-3 Liverpool
West Ham United 0-4 Manchester City
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Other simple ideas for sushi rice dishes
Cheat’s nigiri
This is easier to make than sushi rolls. With damp hands, form the cooled rice into small tablet shapes. Place slices of fresh, raw salmon, mackerel or trout (or smoked salmon) lightly touched with wasabi, then press, wasabi side-down, onto the rice. Serve with soy sauce and pickled ginger.
Easy omurice
This fusion dish combines Asian fried rice with a western omelette. To make, fry cooked and cooled sushi rice with chopped vegetables such as carrot and onion and lashings of sweet-tangy ketchup, then wrap in a soft egg omelette.
Deconstructed sushi salad platter
This makes a great, fuss-free sharing meal. Arrange sushi rice on a platter or board, then fill the space with all your favourite sushi ingredients (edamame beans, cooked prawns or tuna, tempura veggies, pickled ginger and chilli tofu), with a dressing or dipping sauce on the side.
The bio
Date of Birth: April 25, 1993
Place of Birth: Dubai, UAE
Marital Status: Single
School: Al Sufouh in Jumeirah, Dubai
University: Emirates Airline National Cadet Programme and Hamdan University
Job Title: Pilot, First Officer
Number of hours flying in a Boeing 777: 1,200
Number of flights: Approximately 300
Hobbies: Exercising
Nicest destination: Milan, New Zealand, Seattle for shopping
Least nice destination: Kabul, but someone has to do it. It’s not scary but at least you can tick the box that you’ve been
Favourite place to visit: Dubai, there’s no place like home
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
Score
Third Test, Day 1
New Zealand 229-7 (90 ov)
Pakistan
New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat
RESULTS
Men
1 Marius Kipserem (KEN) 2:04:04
2 Abraham Kiptum (KEN) 2:04:16
3 Dejene Debela Gonfra (ETH) 2:07:06
4 Thomas Rono (KEN) 2:07:12
5 Stanley Biwott (KEN) 2:09:18
Women
1 Ababel Yeshaneh (ETH) 2:20:16
2 Eunice Chumba (BRN) 2:20:54
3 Gelete Burka (ETH) 2:24:07
4 Chaltu Tafa (ETH) 2:25:09
5 Caroline Kilel (KEN) 2:29:14
Polarised public
31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
Source: YouGov
The five types of long-term residential visas
Obed Suhail of ServiceMarket, an online home services marketplace, outlines the five types of long-term residential visas:
Investors:
A 10-year residency visa can be obtained by investors who invest Dh10 million, out of which 60 per cent should not be in real estate. It can be a public investment through a deposit or in a business. Those who invest Dh5 million or more in property are eligible for a five-year residency visa. The invested amount should be completely owned by the investors, not loaned, and retained for at least three years.
Entrepreneurs:
A five-year multiple entry visa is available to entrepreneurs with a previous project worth Dh0.5m or those with the approval of an accredited business incubator in the UAE.
Specialists
Expats with specialised talents, including doctors, specialists, scientists, inventors, and creative individuals working in the field of culture and art are eligible for a 10-year visa, given that they have a valid employment contract in one of these fields in the country.
Outstanding students:
A five-year visa will be granted to outstanding students who have a grade of 95 per cent or higher in a secondary school, or those who graduate with a GPA of 3.75 from a university.
Retirees:
Expats who are at least 55 years old can obtain a five-year retirement visa if they invest Dh2m in property, have savings of Dh1m or more, or have a monthly income of at least Dh20,000.
Two-step truce
The UN-brokered ceasefire deal for Hodeidah will be implemented in two stages, with the first to be completed before the New Year begins, according to the Arab Coalition supporting the Yemeni government.
By midnight on December 31, the Houthi rebels will have to withdraw from the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Issa and Al Saqef, coalition officials told The National.
The second stage will be the complete withdrawal of all pro-government forces and rebels from Hodeidah city, to be completed by midnight on January 7.
The process is to be overseen by a Redeployment Co-ordination Committee (RCC) comprising UN monitors and representatives of the government and the rebels.
The agreement also calls the deployment of UN-supervised neutral forces in the city and the establishment of humanitarian corridors to ensure distribution of aid across the country.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Results
Stage Two:
1. Mark Cavendish (GBR) QuickStep-AlphaVinyl 04:20:45
2. Jasper Philipsen (BEL) Alpecin-Fenix
3. Pascal Ackermann (GER) UAE Team Emirates
4. Olav Kooij (NED) Jumbo-Visma
5. Arnaud Demare (FRA) Groupama-FDJ
General Classification:
1. Jasper Philipsen (BEL) Alpecin-Fenix 09:03:03
2. Dmitry Strakhov (RUS) Gazprom-Rusvelo 00:00:04
3. Mark Cavendish (GBR) QuickStep-AlphaVinyl 00:00:06
4. Sam Bennett (IRL) Bora-Hansgrohe 00:00:10
5. Pascal Ackermann (GER) UAE Team Emirates 00:00:12
Anxiety and work stress major factors
Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.
A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.
Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.
One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.
It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."
Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.
“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi.
“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."
Daniel Bardsley
You Were Never Really Here
Director: Lynne Ramsay
Starring: Joaquim Phoenix, Ekaterina Samsonov
Four stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
UAE SQUAD
Ahmed Raza (Captain), Rohan Mustafa, Jonathan Figy, CP Rizwan, Junaid Siddique, Mohammad Usman, Basil Hameed, Zawar Farid, Vriitya Aravind (WK), Waheed Ahmed, Karthik Meiyappan, Zahoor Khan, Darius D'Silva, Chirag Suri
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
ATP RANKINGS (NOVEMBER 4)
1. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 9,585 pts ( 1)
2. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 8,945 (-1)
3. Roger Federer (SUI) 6,190
4. Daniil Medvedev (RUS) 5,705
5. Dominic Thiem (AUT) 5,025
6. Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 4,000 ( 1)
7. Alexander Zverev (GER) 2,945 (-1)
8. Matteo Berrettini (ITA) 2,670 ( 1)
9. Roberto Bautista (ESP) 2,540 ( 1)
10. Gaël Monfils (FRA) 2,530 ( 3)
11. David Goffin (BEL) 2,335 ( 3)
12. Fabio Fognini (ITA) 2,290
13. Kei Nishikori (JPN) 2,180 (-2)
14. Diego Schwartzman (ARG) 2,125 ( 1)
15. Denis Shapovalov (CAN) 2,050 ( 13)
16. Stan Wawrinka (SUI) 2,000
17. Karen Khachanov (RUS) 1,840 (-9)
18. Alex De Minaur (AUS) 1,775
19. John Isner (USA) 1,770 (-2)
20. Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) 1,747 ( 7)
What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
