Khuzaima Tanveer started Saturday as an anonymous squad member of the Desert Vipers, the as-yet-unused fourth guy in the franchise’s domestic player quota.
He ended it by taking four wickets for 22 runs, doing three separate TV interviews, one with the great Pakistan fast bowler Waqar Younis, and carrying off the player of the match award after a dream debut at the DP World International League T20.
The 25-year-old fast bowler has had to wait his turn patiently at this competition. His side have been a well-oiled machine since the start of the season, racing to the top of the table in formidable fashion.
He has had to watch as Tanish Suri, Ali Naseer, and Dhruv Parashar – all UAE players of great promise, and each of whom is younger than him – have each had their chance in the starting XI.
Sitting pretty at the top of the table with five wins from six matches at the start of the day, he was given his chance for the first time against Sharjah Warriorz at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
He had played in front of the TV cameras in the Abu Dhabi T10 earlier this season, but this was his first T20 fixture of any significance, and the cast list of players on either side was a starry one.
His own teammates included his hero, Mohammed Amir, as well international players from his homeland like Fakhar Zaman and Azam Khan. Alex Hales and Sam Curran are T20 World Cup winners from England, while the opposition included Jason Roy, Tim Southee and Adam Zampa.
If he was nervous about being in such vaunted company, he did not show it. He took to his surroundings in thrilling fashion, picking up four wickets. Three of those – including Tim Seifert, the New Zealander who has played IPL and PSL cricket in the past – were clean bowled.
After catching his breath after his stunning salvo, he was picked to give the interview between innings to the broadcasters.
He had the microphone again immediately after the Vipers had set the seal on their dominant eight-wicket win when he was presented with the match award. And shortly after that, he had the honour of talking Waqar through exactly what had happened.
He would have been forgiven for thinking it was all a dream, and he acknowledged he was thrilled by his first day on the big stage.
“I think this is a dream debut for me as a franchise cricketer,” Khuzaima said. “It is my first franchise T20 match, so to take four wickets and become the man of the match is a dream for me.
“Playing with international players and great players like Mohammed Amir, Sam Curran, David Payne and Azam Khan, I didn’t expect this to happen to me. And I didn’t think I could perform like this.
“I got a great reception from all my senior teammates. I hadn’t quite imagined that first, I would get to share the dugout with such great players and then receive such a nice reception after that kind of performance.
“It felt really good especially after receiving such warm comments from my teammates. It feels great to execute a plan handed to you by your captain.”
Having been made to wait till the seventh game of the season for his chance, Khuzaima said the nerves had intensified.
“When the Vipers picked me I was excited that I would have the chance to perform here,” he said. “Then I didn’t get any matches. I was out of the side for six matches, so obviously I was a little bit nervous when I got my chance.”
Khuzaima moved to the UAE from Karachi 16 months ago “to play cricket and support my family”. He was given a chance by Karwan Strikers, the domestic side, and caught the eye of the data analysis team who help put together the Vipers squad, for his performances in UAE cricket.
He is ineligible to represented the national team just yet, as per the ICC’s residency regulations. He is intent on doing so, though, and may form part of an enviable battery of new pace bowlers if this tournament is anything to go by.
Farhan Khan has caught the eye for the Dubai Capitals. Ibrar Ahmed has done similar for Abu Dhabi Knight Riders. Both of them are in a similar situation to Khuzaima in aspiring to play for the UAE once they are eligible.
“Definitely I want to play for the country and perform well,” Khuzaima said.
“ICC’s criteria is that we have to spend three years here. If these fast bowlers – Farhan, Ibrar, Shahid Bhutta [also for Abu Dhabi Knight Riders] and me – can spend that time here together, then hopefully we can assist UAE cricket.”
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
FULL%20FIGHT%20CARD
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Honeymoonish
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2 (Benzema 13', Kroos 28')
Barcelona 1 (Mingueza 60')
Red card: Casemiro (Real Madrid)
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
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The specs
Price, base: Dh228,000 / Dh232,000 (est)
Engine: 5.7-litre Hemi V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 395hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 552Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.5L / 100km
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Ferrari
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The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RESULTS
Main card
Bantamweight 56.4kg: Mehdi Eljamari (MAR) beat Abrorbek Madiminbekov (UZB), Split points decision
Super heavyweight 94 kg: Adnan Mohammad (IRN) beat Mohammed Ajaraam (MAR), Split points decision
Lightweight 60kg: Zakaria Eljamari (UAE) beat Faridoon Alik Zai (AFG), RSC round 3
Light heavyweight 81.4kg: Taha Marrouni (MAR) beat Mahmood Amin (EGY), Unanimous points decision
Light welterweight 64.5kg: Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK) beat Nouredine Samir (UAE), Unanimous points decision
Light heavyweight 81.4kg: Ilyass Habibali (UAE) beat Haroun Baka (ALG), KO second round
