When Andy Flower ended a highly successful, if occasionally stormy, 12-year term with English cricket last year, his next destination might have surprised many.
The Abu Dhabi T10 does not seem an obvious fit for a coach who had helped England’s rise to No 1 in Test cricket, and who had spent the previous six years in mentor and development roles.
Despite its popularity in its three season in the UAE so far, 10-over cricket remains beyond the pale for some cricket purists – a group to which it might be easy to ascribe Flower.
The former Zimbabwe player is excited to have the chance to explore franchise cricket in the coming years, and has already locked down roles with teams in Pakistan, India and the Caribbean.
But he says the T10 calling was a surprise even to him. Out of the blue, his agent contacted him, said there was a head coach position going with one of the teams, and asked if he would be interested.
Flower said yes, and was on a flight to Dubai for the draft that evening, to try and assemble a squad in a format he had never seen played, let alone experienced himself.
"I have a couple of good statistician friends that I asked a couple of questions of, and they fired me back some information that was useful," Flower told The National.
“Even though it was only the third year of T10, there were some interesting little stats.
“I am not going to divulge any of our secrets, but even from two tournaments there was some interesting stuff.”
No wonder he wants to keep the secrets to himself. Two tournaments in to his grand tour of franchise cricket, it already seems as though he has it cracked.
His Maratha Arabians were convincing winners of the 2019 T10, while Multan Sultans are the champions-elect in the Pakistan Super League.
Multan was Flower's next port of call after the T10. With the PSL currently suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic with its play-off series pending, his team have been clearly the outstanding side in it.
“It is a lucky start, to be quite frank. The sample size is small,” Flower said of his new beginnings as a franchise-cricket coaching guru.
“Getting Chris Lynn in the T10, and him coming off, was a huge factor.
"Having Lynn with the bat and Lasith Malinga with the ball, that is not a bad start. That is why the draft is so important.
“And at Multan Sultans, we had quite an old team and I was concerned about our fielding, but that held together really well.
“We had a couple of good things going for us. We had tons of experience, an excellent captain in Shan Masood, and we had two leg-spinners at least playing for us.”
Maybe luck has played a role. After all, he did have just one practice session with his side before the T10. And it just so happened that Lynn, as he said, was in red-hot form for that competition.
But there is clearly far more to it than that. Flower and Nathan Leamon, the analyst who is a trusted part of his support team, have a data-driven strategy designed to find an edge.
“I don’t think everyone is broadly following the same ideas,” Flower said of his commitment to analysis, before adding, “I certainly wouldn’t say that I’m ahead of anyone in particular.”
He points to the influence of Leamon and Talha Ejaz, Multan’s analysts, on their PSL success, as well as the captain Masood, and even the team’s owners.
“[Masood] had a natural bent towards analysis, and that is part of the reason the owners, Ali Tareen and Alamgir Tareen, were very keen to get Shan as captain, even though he might not be a natural T20 player,” Flower said.
“They wanted us to go into this tournament with a new and innovative way of attacking T20 cricket.
“That was heavily analysis driven, and that is why they wanted Shan as captain. I think they proved wise in their choice.
“He has the capacity to deal with a little extra information before games, during games, and after games. That was important.”
That information was often relayed to Masood from Flower and Co on the bench, in real time.
Flower was impressed with the way his captain processed all the information – even if he did not always go along with it.
We took some pretty big decisions, and there were times when I took decisions where he probably didn't agree, but he let me make them
“We took some pretty big decisions, and there were times when I took decisions where he probably didn’t agree, but he let me make them,” Masood said.
“When those decisions didn’t come off, he told me it was a learning curve.
“As a person it was something that helped me grow a lot, and is something that will always be responsible for my development.”
Flower is glad to hear that Masood felt emboldened by his time in charge of Multan, having initially found the prospect intimidating.
“Once of the tricks is blending that sort of analysis with an understanding that we are dealing with 11 human beings, and having empathy with them in a high pressure situation,” Flower said.
“It means using the information as wisely as possible, but absolutely placing the people you are working with at the centre of discussions, analysis and reviews.
“There is no way you can just input statistical information into a sports team, and out pops a result.”
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
HOW TO WATCH
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
Where to apply
Applicants should send their completed applications - CV, covering letter, sample(s) of your work, letter of recommendation - to Nick March, Assistant Editor in Chief at The National and UAE programme administrator for the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism, by 5pm on April 30, 2020.
Please send applications to nmarch@thenational.ae and please mark the subject line as “Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism (UAE programme application)”.
The local advisory board will consider all applications and will interview a short list of candidates in Abu Dhabi in June 2020. Successful candidates will be informed before July 30, 2020.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The Bio
Favourite place in UAE: Al Rams pearling village
What one book should everyone read: Any book written before electricity was invented. When a writer willingly worked under candlelight, you know he/she had a real passion for their craft
Your favourite type of pearl: All of them. No pearl looks the same and each carries its own unique characteristics, like humans
Best time to swim in the sea: When there is enough light to see beneath the surface
Company profile
Name: Dukkantek
Started: January 2021
Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani
Based: UAE
Number of employees: 140
Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service)
Investment: $5.2 million
Funding stage: Seed round
Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office
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)
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
BLACK%20ADAM
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If you go
- The nearest international airport to the start of the Chuysky Trakt is in Novosibirsk. Emirates (www.emirates.com) offer codeshare flights with S7 Airlines (www.s7.ru) via Moscow for US$5,300 (Dh19,467) return including taxes. Cheaper flights are available on Flydubai and Air Astana or Aeroflot combination, flying via Astana in Kazakhstan or Moscow. Economy class tickets are available for US$650 (Dh2,400).
- The Double Tree by Hilton in Novosibirsk ( 7 383 2230100,) has double rooms from US$60 (Dh220). You can rent cabins at camp grounds or rooms in guesthouses in the towns for around US$25 (Dh90).
- The transport Minibuses run along the Chuysky Trakt but if you want to stop for sightseeing, hire a taxi from Gorno-Altaisk for about US$100 (Dh360) a day. Take a Russian phrasebook or download a translation app. Tour companies such as Altair-Tour ( 7 383 2125115 ) offer hiking and adventure packages.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Results:
Men's 100m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 15 sec; 2. Rheed McCracken (AUS) 15.40; 3. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 15.75. Men's 400m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 50.56; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 50.94; 3. Henry Manni (FIN) 52.24.
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
More coverage from the Future Forum
How to help
Donate towards food and a flight by transferring money to this registered charity's account.
Account name: Dar Al Ber Society
Account Number: 11 530 734
IBAN: AE 9805 000 000 000 11 530 734
Bank Name: Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
To ensure that your contribution reaches these people, please send the copy of deposit/transfer receipt to: juhi.khan@daralber.ae
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEjari%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERiyadh%2C%20Saudi%20Arabia%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EYazeed%20Al%20Shamsi%2C%20Fahad%20Albedah%2C%20Mohammed%20Alkhelewy%20and%20Khalid%20Almunif%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPropTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%241%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESanabil%20500%20Mena%2C%20Hambro%20Perks'%20Oryx%20Fund%20and%20angel%20investors%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E8%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Mica
Director: Ismael Ferroukhi
Stars: Zakaria Inan, Sabrina Ouazani
3 stars
The Word for Woman is Wilderness
Abi Andrews, Serpent’s Tail
Western Region Asia Cup T20 Qualifier
Sun Feb 23 – Thu Feb 27, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the Asia qualifier in Malaysia in August
Group A
Bahrain, Maldives, Oman, Qatar
Group B
UAE, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What is a Ponzi scheme?
A fraudulent investment operation where the scammer provides fake reports and generates returns for old investors through money paid by new investors, rather than through ligitimate business activities.
How Filipinos in the UAE invest
A recent survey of 10,000 Filipino expatriates in the UAE found that 82 per cent have plans to invest, primarily in property. This is significantly higher than the 2014 poll showing only two out of 10 Filipinos planned to invest.
Fifty-five percent said they plan to invest in property, according to the poll conducted by the New Perspective Media Group, organiser of the Philippine Property and Investment Exhibition. Acquiring a franchised business or starting up a small business was preferred by 25 per cent and 15 per cent said they will invest in mutual funds. The rest said they are keen to invest in insurance (3 per cent) and gold (2 per cent).
Of the 5,500 respondents who preferred property as their primary investment, 54 per cent said they plan to make the purchase within the next year. Manila was the top location, preferred by 53 per cent.
The%20specs
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TCL INFO
Teams:
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
When December 14-17
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
