Retaining one-day international status at the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe was undoubtedly a major financial boost for UAE cricket. Recent history suggests it is by no means a guarantee of a steady flow of major matches for the national team against high pedigree opposition, though.
UAE will play two matches in the space of the next three days against sides from the game’s top rank – against Afghanistan on Tuesday, then Zimbabwe on Thursday. It is unclear when the national team’s cricketers will be involved in an ODI after that.
They played 31 in the four years between gaining ODI status in New Zealand in 2014 and retaining it in Harare last week. In the same space of time, Sri Lanka have played nearly as many – 27.5 – per year on average.
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Superficially, the UAE should be well-placed to host matches against top-tier sides. The facilities in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi are the envy of even the most developed Test countries.
International teams are regularly passing through, either as preparation for series in the Asian subcontinent, or playing against Pakistan in the Emirates.
And yet it has been beyond the UAE’s means to stage regular meaningful fixtures against the leading sides since they were afforded ODI privileges in 2014.
According to Will Kitchen, UAE cricket’s high performance manager, the costs of staging ODIs remain prohibitive. He believes the national team have done well to play as many matches as they have, relative to other similarly-resourced teams.
Four sides were given the same status by way of their performances at the 2014 Qualifier in New Zealand. In the time it took UAE to play 31 matches, Scotland managed 37, Hong Kong 19, and Papua New Guinea 17.
“Relatively we have done well to play the amount of ODIs we have done, in comparison to other sides of a similar status,” Kitchen said.
“We are really ambitious and want to be able to play lots of cricket, but we need to be able to fund the ODI cricket. The costs involved are so high.
“Arranging a standalone ODI game, you are talking about tens of thousands of dollars, compared to tens of thousands of dirhams. That is really the reason we don’t play more of it is because it is so expensive to play.”
Staging List A, 50-over matches at ICC Academy in Dubai involving the UAE team costs around Dh25,000. For an ODI, the cost of ICC match officials, anti-corruption measures, and other expenses takes the figure to at least the same in dollars – or the equivalent of around Dh91,000.
As such, the Emirates Cricket Board balance their budget to what they feel best serves the development of their players.
In 2017, for example, they used additional funds from the ICC to play a five-match List A series against Zimbabwe’s A-team, a three-match List A series in the Netherlands, and ODIs against Scotland and Hong Kong.
“It is always great to play more ODI cricket, particularly against the full member teams,” Dougie Brown, the UAE coach, said ahead of the Super Sixes match against Afghanistan.
“We are very lucky in Dubai. Geographically we are extremely well placed. We get a number of opportunities that are not full ODI games, but they are against that standard of opposition.
“If you speak to any of the associate sides at this competition, that is the defining thing: getting that opportunity to play more regularly against a higher standard of opposition than we currently do.
“That is critical to allowing our individual games within our countries to continue going in the right directions.”
Important questions to consider
1. Where on the plane does my pet travel?
There are different types of travel available for pets:
- Manifest cargo
- Excess luggage in the hold
- Excess luggage in the cabin
Each option is safe. The feasibility of each option is based on the size and breed of your pet, the airline they are traveling on and country they are travelling to.
2. What is the difference between my pet traveling as manifest cargo or as excess luggage?
If traveling as manifest cargo, your pet is traveling in the front hold of the plane and can travel with or without you being on the same plane. The cost of your pets travel is based on volumetric weight, in other words, the size of their travel crate.
If traveling as excess luggage, your pet will be in the rear hold of the plane and must be traveling under the ticket of a human passenger. The cost of your pets travel is based on the actual (combined) weight of your pet in their crate.
3. What happens when my pet arrives in the country they are traveling to?
As soon as the flight arrives, your pet will be taken from the plane straight to the airport terminal.
If your pet is traveling as excess luggage, they will taken to the oversized luggage area in the arrival hall. Once you clear passport control, you will be able to collect them at the same time as your normal luggage. As you exit the airport via the ‘something to declare’ customs channel you will be asked to present your pets travel paperwork to the customs official and / or the vet on duty.
If your pet is traveling as manifest cargo, they will be taken to the Animal Reception Centre. There, their documentation will be reviewed by the staff of the ARC to ensure all is in order. At the same time, relevant customs formalities will be completed by staff based at the arriving airport.
4. How long does the travel paperwork and other travel preparations take?
This depends entirely on the location that your pet is traveling to. Your pet relocation compnay will provide you with an accurate timeline of how long the relevant preparations will take and at what point in the process the various steps must be taken.
In some cases they can get your pet ‘travel ready’ in a few days. In others it can be up to six months or more.
5. What vaccinations does my pet need to travel?
Regardless of where your pet is traveling, they will need certain vaccinations. The exact vaccinations they need are entirely dependent on the location they are traveling to. The one vaccination that is mandatory for every country your pet may travel to is a rabies vaccination.
Other vaccinations may also be necessary. These will be advised to you as relevant. In every situation, it is essential to keep your vaccinations current and to not miss a due date, even by one day. To do so could severely hinder your pets travel plans.
Source: Pawsome Pets UAE
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
A little about CVRL
Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.
One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases.
The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery.
RESULTS
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Ronaldo's record at Man Utd
Seasons 2003/04 - 2008/09
Appearances 230
Goals 115
