After a month spent as a frustrated observer at the highest levels of the game, Aryan Lakra returned to playing cricket with a bang on Friday, hitting six sixes in an over as part of a huge century.
At the start of January, the 19-year-old all-rounder had been hoping to make his senior debut for the UAE, in a one-day international series against Ireland.
On the morning of the first match, though, he received a positive test result for Covid-19. He was transferred to a medical isolation facility, and promptly ruled out of the remainder of the series.
He recovered in time to take up his place in the Bangla Tigers squad for the Abu Dhabi T10 later in the month, but missed out on selection for the starting XI during the event.
The morning after Bangla Tigers had been knocked out of the tournament, Lakra had his bags packed and was ready to head back up the E11 home to Dubai.
He left the team hotel at the Saadiyat Rotana, took a taxi home, left his father Anup to pick up the fare for Dh390, and quickly headed back out for his afternoon academy fixture.
It appears he was keen to make up for lost time. Playing for Kings Academy U19 against Cricket School of Excellence U19, Lakra hit 142 in 62 balls.
That included taking 36 runs from the 20th over of the innings. The over included a no-ball off the first delivery, and the free hit that followed it was the only ball the former UAE U19 captain did not hit for six.
“I was home for five minutes and then went straight for the game,” Lakra said.
“I had packed my bags the night before, woke up, said bye to everyone and left. I left at 12.30pm, got home at 1.35pm, left my house at 1.40pm, and was out for the game in time for the 2pm start.
“I wouldn’t say it has been a frustrating [time over the past month], because I have learnt so much.
“I didn’t get any game time, but I didn’t think much about it. I was happy with what I was learning, but I was eager to get out there and score some runs.”
Lakra said he even found positives while he was quarantined, as one of four UAE players who tested positive for Covid in January.
“I had a slight sore throat, that was it,” Lakra said of his symptoms. “I wasn’t bored. I had my PS4 with me, and Chirag [Suri, his UAE and Bangla Tigers teammate] was there too.
"We had some really good conversations, and he helped me a lot during quarantine.
“He was talking to me about the mental aspects of the game. We were there for 10 days, and we had some good conversations, and did some small drills. He taught me a lot.”
Although he did not get on the field during the T10, Lakra said he was grateful for the lessons he learnt mixing with some of the stars of franchise cricket.
“I had good conversations with Johnson Charles, Andre Fletcher, and Chris Gayle after one of the games, too,” he said.
“I asked Fletcher about six hitting, and he spent 10 minutes with me explaining the whole thing.
"He said to keep your head as still as possible, and not to open your shoulders when playing the ball.
“I got good tips from him, and [Charles] gave me some great advice. What he told me was, always seek knowledge and wisdom. I’m going to keep that with me for a very long time.”
At the first opportunity he had, Lakra implemented the advice he was given by Fletcher. He hit 11 sixes in all in the academy match, including the six in an over.
“The common factor in six-hitting, he said, was holding your shape,” Lakra said of the tips he picked up from his T10 captain.
“I was thinking about that when I was playing. I hit the first ball for a boundary, the second ball for a boundary, and after that I felt, ‘Yes, I’m in, I can do this now’.
“My teammates were cheering, but I didn’t know I was about to hit six sixes until the fifth one. It hadn’t come into my mind, and I was still pretty calm.
“I was talking to the wicketkeeper before the last ball, and he said, ‘Are you going to hit this ball for six?’
“I said, ‘If it’s in my arc, I will hit it outside the park’.”
The Book of Collateral Damage
Sinan Antoon
(Yale University Press)
Specs%3A%202024%20McLaren%20Artura%20Spider
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.0-litre%20twin-turbo%20V6%20and%20electric%20motor%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMax%20power%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20700hp%20at%207%2C500rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMax%20torque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20720Nm%20at%202%2C250rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Eight-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E0-100km%2Fh%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.0sec%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETop%20speed%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E330kph%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh1.14%20million%20(%24311%2C000)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The biog
Title: General Practitioner with a speciality in cardiology
Previous jobs: Worked in well-known hospitals Jaslok and Breach Candy in Mumbai, India
Education: Medical degree from the Government Medical College in Nagpur
How it all began: opened his first clinic in Ajman in 1993
Family: a 90-year-old mother, wife and two daughters
Remembers a time when medicines from India were purchased per kilo
The language of diplomacy in 1853
Treaty of Peace in Perpetuity Agreed Upon by the Chiefs of the Arabian Coast on Behalf of Themselves, Their Heirs and Successors Under the Mediation of the Resident of the Persian Gulf, 1853
(This treaty gave the region the name “Trucial States”.)
We, whose seals are hereunto affixed, Sheikh Sultan bin Suggar, Chief of Rassool-Kheimah, Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon, Chief of Aboo Dhebbee, Sheikh Saeed bin Buyte, Chief of Debay, Sheikh Hamid bin Rashed, Chief of Ejman, Sheikh Abdoola bin Rashed, Chief of Umm-ool-Keiweyn, having experienced for a series of years the benefits and advantages resulting from a maritime truce contracted amongst ourselves under the mediation of the Resident in the Persian Gulf and renewed from time to time up to the present period, and being fully impressed, therefore, with a sense of evil consequence formerly arising, from the prosecution of our feuds at sea, whereby our subjects and dependants were prevented from carrying on the pearl fishery in security, and were exposed to interruption and molestation when passing on their lawful occasions, accordingly, we, as aforesaid have determined, for ourselves, our heirs and successors, to conclude together a lasting and inviolable peace from this time forth in perpetuity.
Taken from Britain and Saudi Arabia, 1925-1939: the Imperial Oasis, by Clive Leatherdale
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Superliminal%20
%3Cp%3EDeveloper%3A%20Pillow%20Castle%20Games%0D%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Pillow%20Castle%20Games%0D%3Cbr%3EConsole%3A%20PlayStation%204%26amp%3B5%2C%20Xbox%20Series%20One%20%26amp%3B%20X%2FS%2C%20Nintendo%20Switch%2C%20PC%20and%20Mac%0D%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Greenwood 77')
Everton 1 (Lindelof 36' og)
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last-16 second leg
Paris Saint-Germain (1) v Borussia Dortmund (2)
Kick-off: Midnight, Thursday, March 12
Stadium: Parc des Princes
Live: On beIN Sports HD
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Where to buy
Limited-edition art prints of The Sofa Series: Sultani can be acquired from Reem El Mutwalli at www.reemelmutwalli.com
TOURNAMENT INFO
Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier
Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Result
2.15pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,950m; Winner: Majestic Thunder, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
2.45pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,800m; Winner: Tailor’s Row, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
3.15pm: Handicap Dh85,000 1,600m; Winner: Native Appeal, Adam McLean, Doug Watson.
3.45pm: Handicap Dh115,000 1,950m; Winner: Conclusion, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
4.15pm: Handicap Dh100,000 1,400m; Winner: Pilgrim’s Treasure, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
4.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,400m; Winner: Sanad Libya, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
5.15pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,000m; Winner: Midlander, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs: 2019 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera
Price, base: Dh1.2 million
Engine: 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 725hp @ 6,500pm
Torque: 900Nm @ 1,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.3L / 100km (estimate)
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
Uefa Nations League
League A:
Germany, Portugal, Belgium, Spain, France, England, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, Iceland, Croatia, Netherlands
League B:
Austria, Wales, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Ukraine, Republic of Ireland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, Denmark, Czech Republic, Turkey
League C:
Hungary, Romania, Scotland, Slovenia, Greece, Serbia, Albania, Norway, Montenegro, Israel, Bulgaria, Finland, Cyprus, Estonia, Lithuania
League D:
Azerbaijan, Macedonia, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, Latvia, Faroe Islands, Luxembourg, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Liechtenstein, Malta, Andorra, Kosovo, San Marino, Gibraltar
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
