Readjusting to civilian life was always going to be tricky for Zahoor Khan. He had, after all, spent the previous 50 days living the ultimate dream.
For the best part of two months, the UAE fast bowler had been a cog in the wheel of the world’s pre-eminent cricket team.
His living quarters had been in the lap of luxury at the St Regis on Saadiyat Island.
He had spent his days wowing Shane Bond, Zaheer Khan and Jasprit Bumrah with the mystery of his slower-ball bouncer, while bowling to Rohit Sharma et al at nets.
At night, he would whip all comers at pool in the grand team room. The world stars of Mumbai Indians might not have known much about Zahoor’s cricket credentials before he was summoned to help out as a net bowler. But they know now that he is a pool shark.
On the night Mumbai won their fifth IPL title in eight seasons to stake their claim to be regarded as the best T20 side ever, he had stayed back at the team hotel in Abu Dhabi.
When the conquering heroes returned, he was up at 3am for the after party, which lasted till 6am.
Not long after, he was up, checking out, and saying a teary goodbye to some new friends for life.
It speaks of an extraordinary passion for the game that, by 9pm that night, he was back out on the field playing a domestic match in Ajman.
In opposition were a number of his UAE national team colleagues. And, as popular as Zahoor is, they were never likely to let him get ahead of himself after his weeks spent living the high life.
Whatever tricks he might have picked up bowling to Quinton de Kock counted for nought as Rohan Mustafa scooped him for a huge six into the generators at the bottom of the field at Ajman Eden Gardens.
The umpires signalled six to a pair of scorers who were sharing a shisha pipe, and entering the score into a mobile phone. By the end of it, Zahoor had gone for 45 from his four overs. Welcome back, mate.
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IPL2020: Mumbai Indians win again
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Still, though, it was impossible to wipe the smile from his face.
“I learned so much,” Zahoor said, while adjusting the white Mumbai Indians training baseball cap on his head.
“I feel like all I’ve ever learnt has been because of the past 50 days. I was dreaming so much about meeting these stars, and my dream came true.”
He was in Pakistan visiting family when Robin Singh, the UAE coach who is also on the coaching staff of Mumbai, told him to return asap as there was a chance he might get called up.
He flew back, quarantined at home first, then again at the team hotel. Once he had cleared the requisite amount of Covid tests, he went to meet the team.
“When I went into the team room, I was sitting in Rohit Sharma’s place,” Zahoor said.
“Of course, I didn’t know anyone, but Rohit came over to me and sat down and said: ‘Hey, paaji [brother], how are you? From now on, this is your team. Make yourself comfortable.’
“Everybody showed me appreciation. The bowling coaches, Shane Bond and Zaheer Khan, and my coach Robin Singh, they were so helpful.
“They liked my bowling, especially the slower one. Shane Bond was asking how I do it. Most international bowlers bowl it like an off-cutter, but my technique is a little different. They asked how I do it. It is to do with my grip.”
Zahoor first buddied up with fellow members of the training squad Rasikh Salam and Ajay Sonu, but the resident of the room next door to his was one of the gregarious stars of the first team, Hardik Pandya.
He bonded with him over games of pool. Zahoor is the brother of a billiards champion from Pakistan, and has got game himself. He says he won some respect from his illustrious colleagues across the baize.
“Hardik Pandya came and said, ‘Come on, let’s go and play pool’,” Zahoor said. “We played with Rasikh Salam and Krunal Pandya, and they said, ‘You are a professional – why are you playing cricket?’ Before cricket, I used to only play billiards.
“Trent Boult, Hardik Pandya, every day we would play together. I was the champion of the Mumbai Indians players. I won every game.
“Sometimes I would go easy on Hardik in case he got frustrated and didn’t want to play with me anymore.
“Trent Boult was second best. We played best of five. I won the first two, then let him win two, and won the last one.”
Parting with the side in the hours after the title was won was hard, he says, but he is confident he has memories for life.
“Even now, I’m still thinking about it,” he said, as the clock ticked towards 11.30pm in Ajman.
“When I was checking out, Rasikh and Sonu were crying, and I will miss them because they are good friends.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
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Intercontinental Cup
Namibia v UAE Saturday Sep 16-Tuesday Sep 19
Table 1 Ireland, 89 points; 2 Afghanistan, 81; 3 Netherlands, 52; 4 Papua New Guinea, 40; 5 Hong Kong, 39; 6 Scotland, 37; 7 UAE, 27; 8 Namibia, 27
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US' most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was first created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out projectiles, namely ballistic missiles, as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles both inside and outside of the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 93 miles above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then deployed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
Hidden killer
Sepsis arises when the body tries to fight an infection but damages its own tissue and organs in the process.
The World Health Organisation estimates it affects about 30 million people each year and that about six million die.
Of those about three million are newborns and 1.2 are young children.
Patients with septic shock must often have limbs amputated if clots in their limbs prevent blood flow, causing the limbs to die.
Campaigners say the condition is often diagnosed far too late by medical professionals and that many patients wait too long to seek treatment, confusing the symptoms with flu.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Company Profile
Company name: Yeepeey
Started: Soft launch in November, 2020
Founders: Sagar Chandiramani, Jatin Sharma and Monish Chandiramani
Based: Dubai
Industry: E-grocery
Initial investment: $150,000
Future plan: Raise $1.5m and enter Saudi Arabia next year
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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.
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Did you know?
Brunch has been around, is some form or another, for more than a century. The word was first mentioned in print in an 1895 edition of Hunter’s Weekly, after making the rounds among university students in Britain. The article, entitled Brunch: A Plea, argued the case for a later, more sociable weekend meal. “By eliminating the need to get up early on Sunday, brunch would make life brighter for Saturday night carousers. It would promote human happiness in other ways as well,” the piece read. “It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.” More than 100 years later, author Guy Beringer’s words still ring true, especially in the UAE, where brunches are often used to mark special, sociable occasions.
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
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Januzaj's club record
Manchester United 50 appearances, 5 goals
Borussia Dortmund (loan) 6 appearances, 0 goals
Sunderland (loan) 25 appearances, 0 goals
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
2019 ASIAN CUP FINAL
Japan v Qatar
Friday, 6pm
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
