Esha Oza says she was lost for words after finding out she had been named the Women’s Associate Cricketer of the Year for a second time.
The national team captain won the award for her excellence across 2024, when she hit the third highest number of runs of any batter in women’s T20I cricket.
In the process, she helped establish the UAE as a competitive force at the top of the game, playing at the Asia Cup, as well as taking two wins off Zimbabwe, and coming close to making it to the T20 World Cup for the first time. Oza first won the prestigious award in 2022.
While the announcement was made public on Sunday, Oza had been told she had won last week, when the ICC wanted to conduct an interview to publicise the award.
“I just got a call and didn’t know what it was for,” Oza, 27, said. “Anjani [Gaja, the Emirates Cricket Board’s operations manager for UAE Women] said, ‘Congratulations, you have won this’. I thought, ‘Oh, wow’. I didn’t know what to say.
“Since [Sunday morning, when the ICC announced the award] I have been getting messages of congratulations from lots of people. I have been busily typing back saying, ‘Thank you, thank you’.”
Oza won the same award two years previously. Shortly after being presented with that, Ahmed Raza became the new coach of the UAE women’s team. At one of the first meetings with his new charges, he set Oza the target of repeating the achievement.
“He said the challenge to me was to try to win this award again, and in 2024, I was happy I could do that,” Oza said.
“The first time I got an award from the ICC was obviously very special. This time I feel like I have done well against better sides, and it feels better winning it for that reason. Back in 2022, it was recognition for performances against Gulf nations.
“This time we got to play against better sides, and I was able to score runs against them.”
Oza’s year started with her being named the player of the tournament as the leading run scorer in the qualification tournament for the Asia Cup.
After that, she played a key role in taking the national team to the brink of qualification for the T20 World Cup. She made 66 not out against the Netherlands in the group stage to put the UAE through to the all-important semi-final in Abu Dhabi.
The two finalists in that event would make it to the main event – which was subsequently relocated from Bangladesh to the UAE due to civil unrest.
Despite her defiant 66 from 44 balls against eventual tournament winners Sri Lanka, the UAE fell narrowly short of an upset.
Her overall haul for the year of 711 T20I runs was bettered only by Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu (720) and India opener Smriti Mandhana (763). In addition, she took 16 wickets at an average of 19.68, with an economy rate of 5.41 runs per over.
“It is great to be able to perform for your country at whatever level you are playing at,” Oza said.
“If it is helping your team win games, that is something you want to do. When you are able to do that against higher-ranked teams, as we did against Zimbabwe, that makes you feel like you are contributing to the team becoming better.
“We are achieving success as a team, and as an individual as well.”
The overriding memory of the 2024 campaign for supporters of the UAE women’s team will likely be Oza’s effort in defeat against Sri Lanka.
The batter herself regards the 84 she made in a win against Zimbabwe in Windhoek later in the year – when UAE won a tri-series involving them and hosts Namibia – as her favourite innings of the year.
“I did enjoy [the Sri Lanka] innings but it didn’t end well, so I would pick the 84 I made against Zimbabwe,” she said.
“They were a higher-ranked side, we got points on the board, and have come up to No 15 in the world rankings now. We beat them twice out of three times. I did enjoy batting against Sri Lanka but it doesn’t have such good memories attached to it.”
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
The biog
Favourite books: 'Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life' by Jane D. Mathews and ‘The Moment of Lift’ by Melinda Gates
Favourite travel destination: Greece, a blend of ancient history and captivating nature. It always has given me a sense of joy, endless possibilities, positive energy and wonderful people that make you feel at home.
Favourite pastime: travelling and experiencing different cultures across the globe.
Favourite quote: “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders” - Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook.
Favourite Movie: Mona Lisa Smile
Favourite Author: Kahlil Gibran
Favourite Artist: Meryl Streep
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The five pillars of Islam
The British in India: Three Centuries of Ambition and Experience
by David Gilmour
Allen Lane
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Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
Timeline
1947
Ferrari’s road-car company is formed and its first badged car, the 125 S, rolls off the assembly line
1962
250 GTO is unveiled
1969
Fiat becomes a Ferrari shareholder, acquiring 50 per cent of the company
1972
The Fiorano circuit, Ferrari’s racetrack for development and testing, opens
1976
First automatic Ferrari, the 400 Automatic, is made
1987
F40 launched
1988
Enzo Ferrari dies; Fiat expands its stake in the company to 90 per cent
2002
The Enzo model is announced
2010
Ferrari World opens in Abu Dhabi
2011
First four-wheel drive Ferrari, the FF, is unveiled
2013
LaFerrari, the first Ferrari hybrid, arrives
2014
Fiat Chrysler announces the split of Ferrari from the parent company
2015
Ferrari launches on Wall Street
2017
812 Superfast unveiled; Ferrari celebrates its 70th anniversary
Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
When is VAR used?
• Goals
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• Mistaken identity
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
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McLaren GT specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 620bhp
Torque: 630Nm
Price: Dh875,000
On sale: now
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
Without Remorse
Directed by: Stefano Sollima
Starring: Michael B Jordan
4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Pearls on a Branch: Oral Tales
Najlaa Khoury, Archipelago Books
Poacher
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company Profile
Founders: Tamara Hachem and Yazid Erman
Based: Dubai
Launched: September 2019
Sector: health technology
Stage: seed
Investors: Oman Technology Fund, angel investor and grants from Sharjah's Sheraa and Ma'an Abu Dhabi
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre, six-cylinder
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 395bhp
Torque: 420Nm
Price: from Dh321,200
On sale: now
Book%20Details
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AUSTRALIA SQUADS
ODI squad: Aaron Finch (captain), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa
Twenty20 squad: Aaron Finch (captain), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa
Fighting with My Family
Director: Stephen Merchant
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Nick Frost, Lena Headey, Florence Pugh, Thomas Whilley, Tori Ellen Ross, Jack Lowden, Olivia Bernstone, Elroy Powell
Four stars
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
