CP Rizwan and Mohammed Usman both scored centuries as the UAE claimed one of their finest ever wins, beating Ireland in the first one-day international in Abu Dhabi.
The six-wicket win was just the second time the UAE have beaten a Test-playing nation in ODI cricket, after their win over Zimbabwe in 2018.
It was also their first win in seven attempts against Ireland in ODIs. In truth, they have rarely got close.
The last time the sides met, in Harare two-and-a-half-years ago, Ireland won by a massive 226 runs.
Rizwan and Usman’s centuries were their first in ODIs. Their alliance, worth 184, was the highest four-wicket stand against Ireland, beat Eoin Morgan and Tom Banton’s effort in the last game they played last summer
The portents had not been good on the morning of the game, as the UAE made their return to competitive cricket for the first time in nearly 11 months.
Ahead of the toss, it was announced that two of the players in the 17-man squad in Abu Dhabi had tested positive for coronavirus.
The Emirates Cricket Board confirmed that vice-captain Chirag Suri and newcomer Aryan Lakra had tested positive for Covid 19.
“Both players are currently in isolation, are being monitored and are in good health,” the ECB said in statement.
“All areas were immediately and thoroughly sanitised as per existing protocols with no further positive tests returned.”
The match went ahead as scheduled, with the home side handing ODI debuts to 17-year-old batsman Alishan Sharafu and Kashif Daud, the 34-year-old allrounder.
Daud, a coach from Sharjah, started his international career in fine fashion, picking up the prize wicket of Kevin O’Brien.
That was rare cheer for the hosts, though, as Paul Stirling and Andy Balbirnie took the Irish to 141 for one by the end of the 28th over.
Rohan Mustafa pegged the Irish back with two quick wickets, but the tourists still reached 269-5.
Stirling ended unbeaten on 131. It was his second century in successive innings, as he had piloted Ireland’s win over world champions England the last time out.
UAE were struggling in reply, as the lurched to 51-3, only for a record-breaking stand from Rizwan and Usman to take them to victory.
The sides will meet again in the second of four ODIs, at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
Abaya trends
The utilitarian robe held dear by Arab women is undergoing a change that reveals it as an elegant and graceful garment available in a range of colours and fabrics, while retaining its traditional appeal.
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Chelsea 2
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Liverpool 0
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
Read more about the coronavirus
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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
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
US tops drug cost charts
The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.
Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.
In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.
Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol.
The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.
High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.
