While the tension between India and Pakistan continues following the handshake row in the Asia Cup, the less-celebrated players of the UAE know they could yet defuse the issue themselves.
The fallout has continued from the decision of Suryakumar Yadav and his Indian team to not shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts after Sunday night’s match.
It angered their opposition to the point where Pakistan’s board lodged a formal complaint with the ICC about the conduct of the match referee.
According to Mohsin Naqvi, the PCB chairman, match referee Andy Pycroft had requested captains Suryakumar and Salman Agha to not shake hands during the coin toss.
There have subsequently been reports that Pakistan are considering boycotting a potential rematch against India, or pulling out of the tournament altogether.
While the furore was continuing in Dubai on Monday, the UAE were quietly working their way back into the drama themselves in Abu Dhabi.
Bouncing back from an opening day thrashing at the hands of India, they put together a fine display to beat Oman at the Zayed Cricket Stadium.
The 42-run win in the capital was built on a fine 88-run opening stand between Alishan Sharafu and Muhammad Waseem, who both made half-centuries, and four wickets for Junaid Siddique.
It also means they are now in with a chance of making the Super Four, and ruling out another meeting between India and Pakistan.
The winner of Wednesday evening’s fixture between the UAE and Pakistan at Dubai International Stadium will advance, and play the Indians on Sunday.
Pakistan have just beaten the national team twice in the tri-series which preceded the Asia Cup. But, while the UAE had the chance to shake off the disappointment of their own defeat to India, Pakistan have had the distraction of the controversy which followed theirs.
“We have to take this momentum forward,” Lalchand Rajput, the UAE coach, said of the prospect of upsetting the odds and qualifying at Pakistan’s expense.
“A good thing is that we have played Pakistan in the tri-series so we know where we stand. If we can put up a good performance on the day, definitely our team can make it to the Super Four.
“We played very good cricket against Oman, and we will try to play our very best cricket tomorrow. It would be a huge thing for us to qualify for the last four.”
Rajput said his side had shown character in fighting back from the loss against India, when they made the lowest total in their T20I history, in the win over Oman.
“After that loss we did not speak much about it,” Rajput said. “I just said, ‘Forget about it, it happens to everybody; you have a bad day at the office'.
“We had three net sessions after that, and we were positive, looking forward. We had a very good performance [against Oman] and that really shows that the team is very positive.
“We tried to apply what we could do. Alishan knows the pitch conditions very well, and that was the reason why we had a very good opening partnership. That put us in a strong position.”
Sharafu was player of the match for his 38-ball 51 against Oman. The 22-year-old opener’s effort, on a ground which he calls home when he plays for Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the ILT20, set the tone for his side.
He said his side felt the India loss had been a “one-off bad game” and were confident they could play themselves into a position to set up a winner-takes-all game against Pakistan.
“We knew we had two games and we had to win both,” Sharafu said. “We had to take it one day at a time and having finished the first, we are all in a good space.
“We played [Pakistan] recently in a tri-series as well. We just want to take whatever mistakes we made, rectify them, and hopefully put in a good performance. The aim is to look to beat them and go through to the Super Four.
“They are still a good team [despite losing to India on Sunday] so you still have to go out there and play some good cricket.
“You don’t want to focus too much on the opposition. You just want to focus on what we have worked through for the past few months and back our strengths.”
Anti-semitic attacks
The annual report by the Community Security Trust, which advises the Jewish community on security , warned on Thursday that anti-Semitic incidents in Britain had reached a record high.
It found there had been 2,255 anti-Semitic incidents reported in 2021, a rise of 34 per cent from the previous year.
The report detailed the convictions of a number of people for anti-Semitic crimes, including one man who was jailed for setting up a neo-Nazi group which had encouraged “the eradication of Jewish people” and another who had posted anti-Semitic homemade videos on social media.
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Speed: 0-100km/h 3.9 seconds
Price: Dh230,000
On sale: now
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
THE BIO
Ms Davison came to Dubai from Kerala after her marriage in 1996 when she was 21-years-old
Since 2001, Ms Davison has worked at many affordable schools such as Our Own English High School in Sharjah, and The Apple International School and Amled School in Dubai
Favourite Book: The Alchemist
Favourite quote: Failing to prepare is preparing to fail
Favourite place to Travel to: Vienna
Favourite cuisine: Italian food
Favourite Movie : Scent of a Woman
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Mobile phone packages comparison
WITHIN%20SAND
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TOP 5 DRIVERS 2019
1 Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 10 wins 387 points
2 Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes, 4 wins, 314 points
3 Max Verstappen, Red Bull, 3 wins, 260 points
4 Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, 2 wins, 249 points
5 Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, 1 win, 230 points
8 traditional Jamaican dishes to try at Kingston 21
- Trench Town Rock: Jamaican-style curry goat served in a pastry basket with a carrot and potato garnish
- Rock Steady Jerk Chicken: chicken marinated for 24 hours and slow-cooked on the grill
- Mento Oxtail: flavoured oxtail stewed for five hours with herbs
- Ackee and salt fish: the national dish of Jamaica makes for a hearty breakfast
- Jamaican porridge: another breakfast favourite, can be made with peanut, cornmeal, banana and plantain
- Jamaican beef patty: a pastry with ground beef filling
- Hellshire Pon di Beach: Fresh fish with pickles
- Out of Many: traditional sweet potato pudding
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
