When the going gets tough in the IPL, there are no shortage of stars available to lead Kolkata Knight Riders forward.
They have the reigning World Cup-winning captain, Eoin Morgan.
They have the $2 million man, Pat Cummins, who fetched the highest price of anyone at auction ahead of this season.
In normal circumstances, they would have Andre Russell, too – when fitness permits him onto the field.
And their fixture against Delhi Capitals at Zayed Cricket Stadium on Saturday represented genuine high stakes.
Win, and they would be well placed to advance to the knock-out phase of the competition. Lose, and they would be dragged into a fight for qualification, with confidence spiralling downwards.
At 42-3 in the eighth over, they were on the brink. Then they were not so much rescued from the mire as powered to victory by three unexpected sources.
One who was mourning the death of his father-in-law. Another who was coming back from another career-threatening personal crisis. And the third who only turned to cricket as he was struggling to make ends meet as an architect.
First, Sunil Narine blazed his way back to happiness, making 64 in 32 balls, after returning to the side having had doubts over his bowling action flare up again.
Narine joined in a rousing alliance with Nitish Rana, the uncapped Indian left-hander, that was worth 115 in 59 balls.
Rana, for his part, made 81, his highest score of the tournament so far.
When he reached 50, the 12th man brought out a shirt for him to raise that had “Surinder” inscribed on the back.
It was to honour his father-in-law, Surinder Marwah, who died on Friday.
“Watching both of them play with the freedom that they did was outstanding,” Morgan said.
“We felt Nitish was in good form, if a little bit light on runs. Nitish is a very talented young batsman. He has showed a lot of promise in previous IPLs.
“This year, admittedly, he has probably not scored as many runs as he would like to. Hopefully this can be the start of his campaign kicking things forward.
“It showed unbelievable character to come through adversity, especially when it is family based. We all know what Nitish was going through.
“He is continuing to grieve at the moment, but he is trying to channel that. Churning out runs like he did is a huge credit to him.”
The Narine-Rana stand was the centrepiece of Kolkata’s total of 194-6.
Delhi were not able to get close, with Cummins firing out three, and Varun Chakravarthy picking up the first five wicket haul of this season.
It was the finest moment yet for a spin bowler who gave up a career as a freelance architect to try his hand at cricket instead.
“Around 2015 when I was not making much money as an architect, I thought I will try something else when I wasn't able to meet my needs,” Chakravarthy said, after picking up the man of the match award for his 5-20.
Victory kept a cushion between Kolkata in fourth place in the table, and the sides chasing.
Delhi, who were outplayed as they finished 59 runs adrift, remained well placed in second in the table, but Kagiso Rabada said it was a warning shot.
“Whenever you lose, it is a concern,” said Rabada, who took his tally for the season to 23 wickets, after picking up two more against Kolkata.
“We started off the competition really well and set ourselves up nicely. We need to win one more match, and we qualify.
“It is just the nature of this tournament. It is quality versus quality, and any team can rock up on the day.
“We have been playing some good cricket, and we need to emphasise what we have been doing really well, and analyse the few points where we have let the game slip away.”
Changing visa rules
For decades the UAE has granted two and three year visas to foreign workers, tied to their current employer. Now that's changing.
Last year, the UAE cabinet also approved providing 10-year visas to foreigners with investments in the UAE of at least Dh10 million, if non-real estate assets account for at least 60 per cent of the total. Investors can bring their spouses and children into the country.
It also approved five-year residency to owners of UAE real estate worth at least 5 million dirhams.
The government also said that leading academics, medical doctors, scientists, engineers and star students would be eligible for similar long-term visas, without the need for financial investments in the country.
The first batch - 20 finalists for the Mohammed bin Rashid Medal for Scientific Distinction.- were awarded in January and more are expected to follow.
Six tips to secure your smart home
Most smart home devices are controlled via the owner's smartphone. Therefore, if you are using public wi-fi on your phone, always use a VPN (virtual private network) that offers strong security features and anonymises your internet connection.
Keep your smart home devices’ software up-to-date. Device makers often send regular updates - follow them without fail as they could provide protection from a new security risk.
Use two-factor authentication so that in addition to a password, your identity is authenticated by a second sign-in step like a code sent to your mobile number.
Set up a separate guest network for acquaintances and visitors to ensure the privacy of your IoT devices’ network.
Change the default privacy and security settings of your IoT devices to take extra steps to secure yourself and your home.
Always give your router a unique name, replacing the one generated by the manufacturer, to ensure a hacker cannot ascertain its make or model number.
Williams at Wimbledon
Venus Williams - 5 titles (2000, 2001, 2005, 2007 and 2008)
Serena Williams - 7 titles (2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015 and 2016)
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First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
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The 15 players selected
Muzzamil Afridi, Rahman Gul, Rizwan Haider (Dezo Devils); Shahbaz Ahmed, Suneth Sampath (Glory Gladiators); Waqas Gohar, Jamshaid Butt, Shadab Ahamed (Ganga Fighters); Ali Abid, Ayaz Butt, Ghulam Farid, JD Mahesh Kumara (Hiranni Heros); Inam Faried, Mausif Khan, Ashok Kumar (Texas Titans
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
Key products and UAE prices
iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229
iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649
iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179
Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.
New Zealand T20 squad
New Zealand T20 squad: Tim Southee (captain), Finn Allen, Todd Astle, Hamish Bennett, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway (wicketkeeper), Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Ish Sodhi, Will Young
More coverage from the Future Forum
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
