Wicketkeeper batsman Mohammad Shahzad is currently in the UAE battling it out in the Abu Dhabi T10 but his sights are set on returning to the Afghanistan fold.
Shahzad was sent home early from the World Cup in England this summer due to fitness issues but later claimed to be fully fit and stated he had been treated unfairly. Then in August, he was suspended for a year for breaching the Afghanistan Cricket Board’s code of conduct by playing and training in Pakistan.
After the World Cup incident, Shahzad had threatened to quit the sport. But now he is back on the cricket field, turning out for Deccan Gladiators in the Abu Dhabi T10. For the burly keeper, getting back into the Afghanistan team remains his biggest motivation.
“As long as I am alive, I want to play for Afghanistan, Inshallah,” Shahzad said. “My main focus is to make a comeback for Afghanistan. It’s because Afghanistan has a team that I am here. If not, who knows where I would have been.”
But the reality is that Shahzad, 32, will have to wait until next year to even think of an international comeback. Becoming a journeyman player in domestic leagues across the globe is a possibility, he acknowledges.
“After I retire from [international] cricket and feel I can’t play regularly, only then will I play in a few leagues. If I can’t make a comeback, then I will look at T10 and T20 leagues.”
The hard-hitting opening batsman played arguably the most significant innings in the short history of T10 cricket, smashing 74 off 16 balls to help his previous team Rajputs chase down 95 in just four overs.
Shahzad believes the game's shortest format will continue to gain traction, and could even be added to the Olympics programme.
“T10 is an exciting format for me as you don’t have a lot of time. You have to take decisions quickly," Shahzad, a veteran of 151 international matches across all three formats, said.
"That also helps you in formats like T20. Many countries will start to move towards T10. T20 will always be there. In fact, I feel even the Olympics could have T10 as the Games don’t have a lot of time."
It has been suggested that fielding a full batting line-up in a 10-over innings is not the best approach to facing a maximum 60 balls. Shahzad, however, does not subscribe to that train of thought.
“Just because it’s a 10-over format does not mean we need to reduce the number of batsmen. Because it’s a short format, the message we get from captain and coach is to start hitting from the first ball itself. So you tend to lose more wickets. If a team is going after the bowling, then the entire XI can get a chance to bat."
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Fifa Club World Cup:
When: December 6-16
Where: Games to take place at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi and Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain
Defending champions: Real Madrid
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Match info
Newcastle United 1
Joselu (11')
Tottenham Hotspur 2
Vertonghen (8'), Alli (18')
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
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Results
5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Dirt) 1,600m, Winner: Panadol, Mickael Barzalona (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)
6.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m, Winner: Mayehaab, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
6.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh85,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Monoski, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer
7.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (T) 1,800m, Winner: Eastern World, Royston Ffrench, Charlie Appleby
7.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Madkal, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
8.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 1,200m, Winner: Taneen, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi
ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand
UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final
Panipat
Director Ashutosh Gowariker
Produced Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shelatkar, Reliance Entertainment
Cast Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Kriti Sanon, Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure, Zeenat Aman
Rating 3 /5 stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Saturday
5.30pm: Shabab Al Ahli v Al Wahda
5.30pm: Khorfakkan v Baniyas
8.15pm: Hatta v Ajman
8.15pm: Sharjah v Al Ain
Sunday
5.30pm: Kalba v Al Jazira
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
