In the decade and a half he spent putting together arguably the finest career yet by a UAE cricketer, Khurram Khan rarely looked flustered.
The all-rounder might have been one of the feistiest competitors the country has ever produced. But when he was at the batting crease, he was seldom anything other than calm and composed.
His move into coaching - and more specifically parenthood - has altered that, though. The former UAE captain’s son, Rayan, is showing great promise in the sport, although his dad often has to watch from behind the sofa.
“When I used to play cricket, when I went out to bat I was as calm as anything,” Khurram said.
“Now when he is batting, I can only watch four or five balls. In the [Under 19] Asia Cup, he played four or five matches here and the only one I could watch was against India.
“I watched the others on TV, because I didn’t have the courage to go and sit there and watch him. For the India game, I came here and sat watching with my wife, and there were always jitters.
“I cannot watch him batting. If he says he played well and scored some runs, I’ll turn on and watch the highlights.”
Happily, son Rayan is taking everything in his stride. Carrying on the family name in a country where his father achieved so much could be a burden. But, despite his youth, he appears to understand the challenges facing him.
Islamabad-born Rayan attended a non-cricket playing school in Sharjah. He became aware of the sport on the sidelines watching his dad as a small child, but only started pursuing it seriously in his mid-teens.
His progress was swift, and at 15 he was selected to play age-group cricket for the UAE.
“It felt good that I got selected so early, but there was a question in my mind, ‘Did I get selected because of my dad, or was it because of my performances?’,” Rayan said.
“But I went on to perform well in the camp, and so those doubts went away.”
Rayan was only eight when his father went off to represent the country for two months at the 2015 Cricket World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
His memories of that are vague, but he says watching his dad inspired a passion for the sport in himself.
“My first memory of cricket was going to The Sevens Stadium in Dubai and watching my dad play when I was nine. I absolutely fell in love with cricket,” Rayan said.
“I used to watch him play and I got motivated to do the same. That is how it started.”
Now he is making his own way in the sport. But he is aware he will be known by some for being the son of the player who as good as single-handedly inspired UAE’s qualification for T20 and 50-over World Cups a little over a decade ago.
“Two or three years ago, when I started playing good matches in A Division cricket, people would come up to me and say, ‘Your dad was one of the best in the UAE’,” he said.
“It is a big deal - the legacy he has in UAE cricket. I realised it was a big thing and that I should be grateful for it.
“It is scary sometimes when I go out to bat and I have to live up to his legacy and the expectations of it.
“But it is good because he can give me some good advice after all the years he has played. He has plenty of experience, so he can help me out. That is better for me.”
Tuition is, after all, Khurram’s day job now. After juggling his own playing career with a job with Emirates Airline, he is now a coach at Sharjah Cricket Academy.
It is scary sometimes when I go out to bat and I have to live up to his legacy
Rayan Khan
He says Rayan is more advanced than he was at his age. There is a good reason for that: Khurram played nothing more than tape-ball cricket before attending university, and was nearly 30 by the time he started out on international cricket with the UAE.
“I am coaching now, and there is the risk you always judge everybody at your standards,” Khurram said.
“But he is young. He started playing cricket at nine or 10, and he is only 18. I hadn’t even started playing cricket at 18; I started at university. He has a long way to go, but he is learning very fast.
“When somebody in your family has played cricket and you are living with that, obviously there is a positive side to it.
“There is also pressure. Whatever happens, every time he comes back I will talk him through his batting. If I have seen him batting I will ask what he was feeling, if he was feeling confident, and ask him to talk me through his innings.
“He will have that sort of pressure. He will know if he has got out in a certain way I will ask him about it, but there is always pressure.”
For all the wisdom his dad can impart, Rayan’s ambitions are his own. He has already had some noteworthy achievements, too, most obviously when he made a half-century against Pakistan in the U19 Asia Cup last winter.
He knows only performances, rather than a family name, will get him to where he wants to go. And that is the very top with the UAE senior men’s team.
“Being in the UAE, one of the biggest dreams is to help make UAE a Test nation,” Rayan said.
“You also want to make the ILT20 and play in T20 leagues. If you perform well in one, there is scope for you to play in more. If you play in three or four, you can make a big name for yourself.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
If you go...
Flying
There is no simple way to get to Punta Arenas from the UAE, with flights from Dubai and Abu Dhabi requiring at least two connections to reach this part of Patagonia. Flights start from about Dh6,250.
Touring
Chile Nativo offers the amended Los Dientes trek with expert guides and porters who are met in Puerto Williams on Isla Navarino. The trip starts and ends in Punta Arenas and lasts for six days in total. Prices start from Dh8,795.
The Lowdown
Kesari
Rating: 2.5/5 stars
Produced by: Dharma Productions, Azure Entertainment
Directed by: Anubhav Singh
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Parineeti Chopra
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
List of officials:
Referees: Chris Broad, David Boon, Jeff Crowe, Andy Pycroft, Ranjan Madugalle and Richie Richardson.
Umpires: Aleem Dar, Kumara Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus, Chris Gaffaney, Ian Gould, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, Bruce Oxenford, Ruchira Palliyaguruge, Sundaram Ravi, Paul Reiffel, Rod Tucker, Michael Gough, Joel Wilson and Paul Wilson.
Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”
Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
THE BIO
Favourite place to go to in the UAE: The desert sand dunes, just after some rain
Who inspires you: Anybody with new and smart ideas, challenging questions, an open mind and a positive attitude
Where would you like to retire: Most probably in my home country, Hungary, but with frequent returns to the UAE
Favorite book: A book by Transilvanian author, Albert Wass, entitled ‘Sword and Reap’ (Kard es Kasza) - not really known internationally
Favourite subjects in school: Mathematics and science
Other ways to buy used products in the UAE
UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.
Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.
Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.
For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.
Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.
At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.
HOW TO WATCH
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JERSEY INFO
Red Jersey
General Classification: worn daily, starting from Stage 2, by the leader of the General Classification by time.
Green Jersey
Points Classification: worn daily, starting from Stage 2, by the fastest sprinter, who has obtained the best positions in each stage and intermediate sprints.
White Jersey
Young Rider Classification: worn daily, starting from Stage 2, by the best young rider born after January 1, 1995 in the overall classification by time (U25).
Black Jersey
Intermediate Sprint Classification: worn daily, starting from Stage 2, by the rider who has gained the most Intermediate Sprint Points.
The Breadwinner
Director: Nora Twomey
Starring: Saara Chaudry, Soma Chhaya, Laara Sadiq
Three stars
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
