Given the current restrictions on movement and social gatherings, CP Rizwan’s birthday celebrations will be muted when he turns 32 on Sunday.
In all likelihood, it will be similar to most other days in the recent past. Which is, a day at the office, followed by some throw-downs from his wife Fathima in the front room of their apartment in Sharjah.
Anything for a fix of cricket, for a player who had hoped to be in the process of nailing down his place in the UAE national team at the moment.
"It is a little difficult," Rizwan said of the coronavirus-enforced absence of cricket. "We are missing it obviously because it is such a big part of our routine.
“Playing domestic cricket, preparing with the UAE team, it is all a major miss. But we do still interact.
“And my wife helps me with throw-downs, so at least I can do something. It is only quite a light ball, so we haven’t broken anything yet.”
The couple married in 2015. Fathima knew little of cricket until then.
Within two years she had given up her job in teaching in order to support Rizwan’s cricket career, and now rarely misses a game.
“She didn’t follow cricket at all before we were married,” Rizwan said. “Since then, she had really got into it, started coming to matches, and now she gives me advice. She tells me I shouldn’t be throwing my wicket away.
“She has been to so many domestic matches and stayed late in the night, watching me play. Now she’s started enjoying the game.”
Rizwan debuted for the national team at the start of 2019, having been a prolific run-scorer in domestic cricket for some time previous to that.
He has been in and out of the side in the time since, and he says he has been frustrated at failing to make the sort of scores that would cement his place in the XI.
“I felt really happy that all the toil in domestic cricket, and all the hard work that nobody was seeing – in the night, after work, running on the beach – was being rewarded,” he said of being selected for UAE.
“I felt really blessed. But I’m not satisfied. I want to do well for UAE, and win matches for them. I’ve been getting starts, but I’m still awaiting a big knock. Inshallah it will come.”
Rizwan might have been part of the same Kerala Ranji Trophy squad as Sanju Samson back in his native India, but he has a deep affinity with UAE, too.
His father has lived in the country for 35 years. Rizwan was brought to live in Sharjah when he was two, having been born in India, while his two younger sisters were both born in the emirate.
He left to pursue engineering studies in Kochi, but returned in 2014, after landing a job with the Bukhatir Group.
“When I was still studying in India, I used to come here for every vacation,” Rizwan said.
“When Ahmed Raza [now the UAE captain] was young and new to the national team, I remember I used to go from my home to the Sharjah Stadium to see UAE practicing.
“I would give throw-downs for Ahmed Raza. We still talk about that. They are good memories, and now we are teammates.
“Now, after all this time, he is still leading from the front, in terms of fitness standards and everything. All the youngsters look up to him.”
His day job as an electrical engineer for Eastern International, in the construction industry, means he has not been confined to his home like many other people in recent weeks.
“Even during the lockdown period I have been working, and I have to focus on my cricket after that,” he said. “It hasn’t been a worry. To be frank, our building has 32 floors and only our office is working, so it feels like we are in isolation, too.
“Since everyone is still working in construction we have no complaints. In a way, it is good. The government has this policy and we are happy to adhere to it.”
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Second ODI
England 322-7 (50 ovs)
India 236 (50 ovs)
England win by 86 runs
Next match: Tuesday, July 17, Headingley
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Swiss fly direct from the UAE to Zurich from Dh2,855 return, including taxes.
The chalet
Chalet N is currently open in winter only, between now and April 21. During the ski season, starting on December 11, a week’s rental costs from €210,000 (Dh898,431) per week for the whole property, which has 22 beds in total, across six suites, three double rooms and a children’s suite. The price includes all scheduled meals, a week’s ski pass, Wi-Fi, parking, transfers between Munich, Innsbruck or Zurich airports and one 50-minute massage per person. Private ski lessons cost from €360 (Dh1,541) per day. Halal food is available on request.
Bib%20Gourmand%20restaurants
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Manchester City transfers:
OUTS
Pablo Zabaleta, Bacary Sagna, Gael Clichy, Willy Caballero and Jesus Navas (all released)
INS
Ederson (Benfica) £34.7m, Bernardo Silva (Monaco) £43m
ON THEIR WAY OUT?
Joe Hart, Eliaquim Mangala, Samir Nasri, Wilfried Bony, Fabian Delph, Nolito and Kelechi Iheanacho
ON THEIR WAY IN?
Dani Alves (Juventus), Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal)
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Recycle Reuse Repurpose
New central waste facility on site at expo Dubai South area to handle estimated 173 tonne of waste generated daily by millions of visitors
Recyclables such as plastic, paper, glass will be collected from bins on the expo site and taken to the new expo Central Waste Facility on site
Organic waste will be processed at the new onsite Central Waste Facility, treated and converted into compost to be re-used to green the expo area
Of 173 tonnes of waste daily, an estimated 39 per cent will be recyclables, 48 per cent organic waste and 13 per cent general waste.
About 147 tonnes will be recycled and converted to new products at another existing facility in Ras Al Khor
Recycling at Ras Al Khor unit:
Plastic items to be converted to plastic bags and recycled
Paper pulp moulded products such as cup carriers, egg trays, seed pots, and food packaging trays
Glass waste into bowls, lights, candle holders, serving trays and coasters
Aim is for 85 per cent of waste from the site to be diverted from landfill
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202-litre%204-cylinder%20turbo%20and%203.6-litre%20V6%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeven-speed%20automatic%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20235hp%20and%20310hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E258Nm%20and%20271Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh185%2C100%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The biog
Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives.
The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast.
As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau
He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker.
If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah
