Zahoor Khan will become the first UAE cricketer to play in a major franchise tournament after being selected for Quetta Gladiators to face Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League.
The UAE fast bowler was only announced as an addition to the Quetta squad less than an hour before the 5pm start of the game at Zayed Cricket Stadium.
He was called up as a replacement player for Andre Russell, the Jamaican all-rounder.
When that announcement was being confirmed on social media, Zahoor was out on the middle, practicing his bowling alongside the rest of the Quetta attack.
Within 20 minutes, he had been named in the starting XI, completing an overseas trio for Quetta that also includes South African Cameron Delport and Australian Jake Weatherald.
Zahoor’s call-up is a historic moment for the game in the Emirates. He will become the first UAE player to feature in a game in a leading T20 competition.
There are two other players in PSL squads. Mohammed Wasim, an uncapped UAE batsman, and Sultan Ahmed, the left-arm spinner, have been called up as replacement players for the Abu Dhabi leg of the PSL.
Wasim is part of the Multan Sultans squad and yet to bat, while Sultan Ahmed has yet to get his chance in a formidable Lahore bowling attack.
Chirag Suri, the UAE opener, was also part of the Gujarat Lions squad at the 2017 IPL. Although he did briefly make it on to the field in a match in Delhi at that tournament, he did not have any official playing participation in it.
Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that Shahid Afridi has been ruled out of the tournament due to the back injury which stopped him from flying to the UAE.
The currency conundrum
Russ Mould, investment director at online trading platform AJ Bell, says almost every major currency has challenges right now. “The US has a huge budget deficit, the euro faces political friction and poor growth, sterling is bogged down by Brexit, China’s renminbi is hit by debt fears while slowing Chinese growth is hurting commodity exporters like Australia and Canada.”
Most countries now actively want a weak currency to make their exports more competitive. “China seems happy to let the renminbi drift lower, the Swiss are still running quantitative easing at full tilt and central bankers everywhere are actively talking down their currencies or offering only limited support," says Mr Mould.
This is a race to the bottom, and everybody wants to be a winner.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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
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Nick's journey in numbers
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
MATCH INFO
England 19 (Try: Tuilagi; Cons: Farrell; Pens: Ford (4)
New Zealand 7 (Try: Savea; Con: Mo'unga)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
