The draft for the inaugural edition of The Hundred set the tone for next year’s carnival, with some of the best white-ball players on the planet getting picked by the eight teams on Sunday.
The 100-ball competition is set to capture the imagination of fans next year with the city-based tournament finally bringing franchise cricket to the UK.
However, since there were limited spots available – 239 overseas and 331 domestic players were in the draft – most were going to be disappointed. By the end of the draft, some big names found no takers. Here we take a look at eight players to miss out.
Babar Azam
This was the biggest surprise of the night. The world's No 1 T20 International batsman was the top scorer in the T20 Blast playing for Somerset and was recently named 20-over captain of Pakistan. But he still didn't get picked, and one of the reasons given was doubts over his availability next year as Pakistan play a Test series against England around that time. However, Test regular Shaheen Afridi was picked in the draft, which makes Babar's exclusion curious.
Even a low base price of £75,000 (Dh357,000) didn’t entice teams.
Chris Gayle
The "Universe Boss" had warned earlier that any new tournament has to have him at the start in order to succeed. "If I don't start it, it won't be a tournament," Gayle said. "I guess England should invite me over. Then I'll explode the tournament and say: 'Thank you guys, bring in a youngster now.' I will set the trend for you like I did in all tournaments around the world."
It was a great pitch but no team went for his base price of £125,000. At 40 years of age, maybe Gayle’s top franchise cricket days are drawing to a close.
Shakib Al Hasan
Another star who didn't make the cut but the reasons behind it seem more acceptable. The Bangladesh all-rounder had a base price of £100,000 and after a sensational World Cup in England with bat and ball, should have been first choice. However, with Bangladesh scheduled to play Tests in July next year, the chances of him getting clearance from his national board were slim. Which is probably why teams didn't go for him.
However, Shakib on Monday led a player strike, suspending cricket in Bangladesh over demands of better wages. It will be interesting to see where Shakib and the Bangladesh board stand next year.
Lasith Malinga
Another incredible omission. The Sri Lankan slinger has reinvented himself in 2019 and is very much on top of his white-ball game, taking four wickets in four balls against New Zealand recently – the second time he has achieved that feat in his career.
But according to spin legend Shane Warne, Malinga had outpriced himself by choosing the top tier of £125,000. But if an in-form match-winner won’t command top dollar, then who will?
Kagiso Rabada
The South African pace spearhead lost most of his edge in 2019. His pace is down, he was average at the World Cup and was negotiated expertly by batsmen in India. Rabada should have been red hot now but has generally been off his game. There is a fear he has been overbowled, which is evident in his returns.
All those asterisk with a base price of £125,000 put teams off.
Kieron Pollard
The hard-hitting all-rounder has been a regular in franchise cricket across the globe. While his bowling is not as reliable as it used to be, his hitting power seemed enough to warrant the £100,000 base price. The teams didn’t think so though.
There is a view that Pollard doesn’t really go after top quality pacers, which is probably why he didn’t find too many takers. He was recently named the West Indies’ white-ball captain, so the snub would have come as a surprise.
Dwayne Bravo
Bravo was once the face of franchise cricket, with his dance routines, music and all-round skills having teams clamouring for his signature. But at 36, the sting seems to be going out of Bravo’s bowling and his bat has not set the stage alight consistently for a long time.
The Caribbean star was in the second highest price range of £100,000 but didn’t get the nod.
Quinton de Kock
The South African gloveman seems to have it all – fine keeper, top class opener and a hard hitting batsman. But the southpaw couldn't attract a bid, which is understandable to a degree as the current South African team is struggling in all formats.
If South African cricket continues to suffer in the international arena, the returns will diminish for its players elsewhere.
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
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Planes grounded by coronavirus
British Airways: Cancels all direct flights to and from mainland China
Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific: Cutting capacity to/from mainland China by 50 per cent from Jan. 30
Chicago-based United Airlines: Reducing flights to Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong
Ai Seoul: Suspended all flights to China
Finnair: Suspending flights to Nanjing and Beijing Daxing until the end of March
Indonesia's Lion Air: Suspending all flights to China from February
South Korea's Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air and Jin Air: Suspend all flights
Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
Generational responses to the pandemic
Devesh Mamtani from Century Financial believes the cash-hoarding tendency of each generation is influenced by what stage of the employment cycle they are in. He offers the following insights:
Baby boomers (those born before 1964): Owing to market uncertainty and the need to survive amid competition, many in this generation are looking for options to hoard more cash and increase their overall savings/investments towards risk-free assets.
Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980): Gen X is currently in its prime working years. With their personal and family finances taking a hit, Generation X is looking at multiple options, including taking out short-term loan facilities with competitive interest rates instead of dipping into their savings account.
Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996): This market situation is giving them a valuable lesson about investing early. Many millennials who had previously not saved or invested are looking to start doing so now.
Ticket prices
General admission Dh295 (under-three free)
Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free
Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets
MATCH INFO
Manchester United v Everton
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester
When: Sunday, kick-off 7pm (UAE)
How to watch: Live on BeIN Sports 11HD
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
England-South Africa Test series
1st Test England win by 211 runs at Lord's, London
2nd Test South Africa win by 340 runs at Trent Bridge, Nottingham
3rd Test July 27-31 at The Oval, London
4th Test August 4-8 at Old Trafford, Manchester
