If IPL franchises did want to expand their recruitment drive beyond the Test nations, these players could make it.
Mohammed Shahzad (Afghanistan)
A combustible wicketkeeper who adores MS Dhoni – and does his best to mimic his batting style, particularly by way of his trademark helicopter shot.
Shahzad revels on the big stage, too. When Afghanistan played Pakistan for the first time in a one-day international at a packed Sharjah Cricket Stadium, he reverse swept Saeed Ajmal for six.
It was quite a come down for Ajmal, who was basking in the glow of a glorious Test series against England at the time.
He would bring plenty of extra eyeballs, too. Shahzad is a massive star in his native Afghanistan.
Paras Khadka (Nepal)
The wider international cricket community got its first glimpse of Nepal at the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh.
They will have liked what they saw.
Nepal beat Hong Kong and Afghanistan, and were in the game against Bangladesh, too.
Unsurprisingly for those who have followed the progress of the Himalayan side during their rise beyond the mainstream, Khadka was the central figure in their excellence.
He bowls seamers and off-spin, swallows catches, and can hit a long ball. He put one onto the roof of the main stand at Sharjah stadium in practice before the World T20.
Stephan Myburgh (Netherlands)
Nobody in the game – Test cartel or beyond – hits the ball harder than the left-handed Dutch opening batsman.
At the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh, he hit 13 sixes and scored at a rate of 154.48 per 100 balls.
His initial pyrotechnics were the basis for the Netherlands’ otherworldly run chase against Ireland in the preliminary round, when they qualified after chasing 193 in less than 14 overs in Sylhet.
If their innings had continued to its permitted 20 over duration, they were on course for 279. Any IPL franchise would be grateful for six-appeal like that.
Paul Stirling (Ireland)
Probably hits the ball marginally less hard than Kevin O’Brien, his Ireland colleague, but there cannot be much in it.
Plus, seeing as he gets to open the innings, Stirling gets more opportunities to advertise his wares in the power-play overs against the hard new ball.
Clearly he still has his doubters, given that he is not even a limited-overs regular at his county side, Middlesex, in the UK.
But he has been noticed beyond the Test sphere, as evidenced by the fact he was recruited by Sylhet in the Bangladesh Premier League.
Irfan Ahmed (Hong Kong)
Fair to say he fluffed his lines on his first appearance on the big stage. The Pakistan-born opener went into Hong Kong’s World Twenty20 debut last month in good form.
He had been one of the standout performers in the qualifying event for the 50-over version earlier in the year when Hong Kong secured full one-day international status.
Bangladesh proved a chastening experience, though, as he made successive first-ball ducks in the first two matches.
He did play a cameo role in the shock win over Bangladesh, but his star remains well hidden, so he would be a bargain price.
pradley@thenational.ae
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Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
Museum of the Future in numbers
- 78 metres is the height of the museum
- 30,000 square metres is its total area
- 17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
- 14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
- 1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior
- 7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
- 2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
- 100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
- Dh145 is the price of a ticket
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3ECompany%3A%20Zywa%3Cbr%3EStarted%3A%202021%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Nuha%20Hashem%20and%20Alok%20Kumar%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20UAE%3Cbr%3EIndustry%3A%20FinTech%3Cbr%3EFunding%20size%3A%20%243m%3Cbr%3ECompany%20valuation%3A%20%2430m%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Fight card
Preliminaries:
Nouredine Samir (UAE) v Sheroz Kholmirzav (UZB); Lucas Porst (SWE) v Ellis Barboza (GBR); Mouhmad Amine Alharar (MAR) v Mohammed Mardi (UAE); Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) v Spyro Besiri (GRE); Aslamjan Ortikov (UZB) v Joshua Ridgwell (GBR)
Main card:
Carlos Prates (BRA) v Dmitry Valent (BLR); Bobirjon Tagiev (UZB) v Valentin Thibaut (FRA); Arthur Meyer (FRA) v Hicham Moujtahid (BEL); Ines Es Salehy (BEL) v Myriame Djedidi (FRA); Craig Coakley (IRE) v Deniz Demirkapu (TUR); Artem Avanesov (ARM) v Badreddine Attif (MAR); Abdulvosid Buranov (RUS) v Akram Hamidi (FRA)
Title card:
Intercontinental Lightweight: Ilyass Habibali (UAE) v Angel Marquez (ESP)
Intercontinental Middleweight: Amine El Moatassime (UAE) v Francesco Iadanza (ITA)
Asian Featherweight: Zakaria El Jamari (UAE) v Phillip Delarmino (PHI)
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes.
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com
Company profile
Name: Back to Games and Boardgame Space
Started: Back to Games (2015); Boardgame Space (Mark Azzam became co-founder in 2017)
Founder: Back to Games (Mr Azzam); Boardgame Space (Mr Azzam and Feras Al Bastaki)
Based: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Industry: Back to Games (retail); Boardgame Space (wholesale and distribution)
Funding: Back to Games: self-funded by Mr Azzam with Dh1.3 million; Mr Azzam invested Dh250,000 in Boardgame Space
Growth: Back to Games: from 300 products in 2015 to 7,000 in 2019; Boardgame Space: from 34 games in 2017 to 3,500 in 2019
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
