It is with good reason that Alishan Sharafu has been tipped by many as a future star of UAE batting.
He became the third youngest player ever to feature for the senior national team when he debuted in a T20 tournament in Oman in February, a month after turning 17.
Even lockdown has barely slowed his progress. He scored an 83-ball 155 in an age-group competition last month, breaking his own record highest score in the process.
And then he razed senior-level bowlers in making a T10 hundred – something that none of the international stars of the Abu Dhabi T10 have managed yet in four seasons of that competition – in Ajman last week.
But the future had to wait on Tuesday morning when the schoolboy had to sit an English exam, a few hours after being named man of the match in a game in the new Dream 11 Emirates D20.
“The exam wasn’t too bad,” Sharafu said. “The school gave me consideration so I was able to start an hour late.
“I got home at 2am, and didn’t get to sleep till 3am, so I had told them I would not be able to see anything on the paper. In the end I was able to concentrate OK.”
Because of his cricket, Sharafu often misses time from school, but has extra tuition to ensure he will be well prepared for his final exams at the start of next year.
His teachers at Our Own High School in Al Warqa, Dubai have been understanding given his promise on the sports field.
On Monday night, he had scored 48 not out to win the game for ECB Blues, the UAE development team, against Dubai in the new, livestreamed T20 competition.
His innings will have impressed Robin Singh, the UAE coach who is in charge of the ECB side for this competition.
“He has been telling me to try to bat through the innings, whenever I get a chance,” Sharafu said of Singh’s influence.
“Yesterday, he told me the same thing: go out there, finish the innings, then come back.
“We have a young side, which is nice because we have a lot of energy. We can save an extra few runs on the field. Plus we have some seniors who guide us around.
“Whoever it is, whenever you get your opportunity you have to take that responsibility. You have to play the same role as the seniors from the national side.”
Sharafu’s development into one of the most destructive hitters in the domestic game contrasts with the start he had in the sport.
Obaid Hameed, a one-time UAE international player who moved into coaching when he was 22, recalls the first time he was Sharafu as a 10 year old.
“Ali has been with me since the first day the academy started way back in 2013,” said the founder of the Dubai-based Cricket School of Excellence.
“He started playing proper, hard-ball cricket at the academy when he was 10. I remember the first day clearly, his dad brought him, and said he would love him to play some hard ball cricket.
“He was a chubby kid, really, really shy. I asked him what he did, and he said: ‘I bowl. I bowl fast.’
"And he was actually pretty fast for a 10 year old. From there, I saw something really special in him.”
Soon after, the youngster’s ability to clear the fence with the bat became apparent.
“Ever since I was young I’ve always loved hitting sixes,” Sharafu said.
“I’ve always been an aggressive kind of batsman. I used to watch AB de Villiers bat quite a lot, and he could hit a six to any side of the ground.
"That was what I wanted to do, but more recently I’ve been watching Virat Kohli.
“He is a fighter, and gets his team out of tough situations, and tries to get them over the line.”
Hameed believes his protege’s six-hitting ability could make him a candidate for a place in some of the world’s biggest franchise leagues in the future.
“Ali was a special one from day one,” coach Hameed said.
“He has had his ups and downs, but I knew that one day he could make it big, and even now I hope that he does, having achieved so much by the age of 17.
“I think he is one of the few players who has the potential to put their name in the hat going forward for international leagues, including the IPL.
“He has that potential, because of the way he plays his cricket, and because he is a really cool, nice kid.
“He is always happy to help out the youngsters at our academy, and is always there for people. He is a good team man.
“You need all these attributes to make it to the top, not just the talent side. It is a proud moment for us to see what he is achieving and we wish him all the best.”
Company%C2%A0profile
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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
ENGLAND SQUAD
Joe Root (captain), Dom Sibley, Rory Burns, Dan Lawrence, Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Ben Foakes (wicketkeeper), Moeen Ali, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, Jack Leach, Stuart Broad
Company%20Profile
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THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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In numbers
- Number of children under five will fall from 681 million in 2017 to 401m in 2100
- Over-80s will rise from 141m in 2017 to 866m in 2100
- Nigeria will become the world’s second most populous country with 791m by 2100, behind India
- China will fall dramatically from a peak of 2.4 billion in 2024 to 732 million by 2100
- an average of 2.1 children per woman is required to sustain population growth
The struggle is on for active managers
David Einhorn closed out 2018 with his biggest annual loss ever for the 22-year-old Greenlight Capital.
The firm’s main hedge fund fell 9 per cent in December, extending this year’s decline to 34 percent, according to an investor update viewed by Bloomberg.
Greenlight posted some of the industry’s best returns in its early years, but has stumbled since losing more than 20 per cent in 2015.
Other value-investing managers have also struggled, as a decade of historically low interest rates and the rise of passive investing and quant trading pushed growth stocks past their inexpensive brethren. Three Bays Capital and SPO Partners & Co., which sought to make wagers on undervalued stocks, closed in 2018. Mr Einhorn has repeatedly expressed his frustration with the poor performance this year, while remaining steadfast in his commitment to value investing.
Greenlight, which posted gains only in May and October, underperformed both the broader market and its peers in 2018. The S&P 500 Index dropped 4.4 per cent, including dividends, while the HFRX Global Hedge Fund Index, an early indicator of industry performance, fell 7 per cent through December. 28.
At the start of the year, Greenlight managed $6.3 billion in assets, according to a regulatory filing. By May, the firm was down to $5.5bn.
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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
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ALRAWABI%20SCHOOL%20FOR%20GIRLS
%3Cp%3ECreator%3A%20Tima%20Shomali%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%C2%A0Tara%20Abboud%2C%C2%A0Kira%20Yaghnam%2C%20Tara%20Atalla%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Panipat
Director Ashutosh Gowariker
Produced Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shelatkar, Reliance Entertainment
Cast Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Kriti Sanon, Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure, Zeenat Aman
Rating 3 /5 stars
Most F1 world titles
7 — Michael Schumacher (1994, ’95, 2000, ’01 ’02, ’03, ’04)
7 — Lewis Hamilton (2008, ’14,’15, ’17, ’18, ’19, ’20)
5 — Juan Manuel Fangio (1951, ’54, ’55, ’56, ’57)
4 — Alain Prost (1985, ’86, ’89, ’93)
4 — Sebastian Vettel (2010, ’11, ’12, ’13)
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
More on animal trafficking
The Dictionary of Animal Languages
Heidi Sopinka
Scribe
Five expert hiking tips
Always check the weather forecast before setting off
Make sure you have plenty of water
Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
Take your litter home with you
