Mohammad Shahzad, the Afghanistan wicketkeeper, says he cannot wait to shine on the world stage at the Twenty20 World Cup which starts in the West Indies from April 30 to May 16.
Mohammad Shahzad, the Afghanistan wicketkeeper, says he cannot wait to shine on the world stage at the Twenty20 World Cup which starts in the West Indies from April 30 to May 16.

Shahzad's fairy tale



DUBAI // Few among cricket's top echelons have probably heard of Mohammad Shahzad, but they would be well served to do their homework on the Afghanistan wicketkeeper ahead of the Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies, especially the bowlers from India and South Africa.

Shahzad, 18, has been Afghanistan's knight in shining armour in their fairy tale rise in world cricket. He scored two centuries in four one-day internationals and blitzed his way to an unbeaten 214 in Sharjah earlier this week as the team chased down a record 494 in the fourth innings to win their Intercontinental Cup match against Canada. That win followed Afghanistan's success in the qualifiers for the World Twenty20 last week and they will now line up in Group C against India and South Africa when the tournament begins in the Caribbean in April.

For Shahzad, Afghanistan's opening game against India on May 1 will be special for more than one reason as it will bring him face-to-face with his idol, MS Dhoni, the India captain, for the first time in his career. "Dhoni is my favourite player and I am really looking forward to playing against him," says Shahzad, who takes a similar carefree approach to batting as India's wicketkeeper. "I just try to play my natural game and not try to curtail my strokes. Batting for me is simple: try to hit every ball outside the park. There's no big discussion."

Shahzad also keeps wicket like Dhoni, learning his trade in taped-ball cricket on the streets of Nangarhar, a relatively peaceful region of the war-torn country. "I don't like Dhoni just because he is a great cricketer," he adds. "But I like him because he is a wonderful human being. I adore his personality. "I have not had an opportunity to meet him until now, but this is one thing I have always dreamt about. Now I will be getting this opportunity in the West Indies."

Shahzad, however, will not be content just exchanging pleasantries with his hero; he will be determined to impress against Dhoni and the rest of India's star-studded team by helping Afghanistan score what would be a stunning upset. "It will be a great moment for us to play against such legends and stars like MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag," says Shahzad.

"Of course, there are the South Africans as well. "We have great respect for them, so obviously we will be very keen to prove ourselves against those two teams. It's cricket and anything can happen, especially in T20. We have seen Ireland knock Pakistan out of the 2007 World Cup and we have beaten Ireland so many times. "So it all comes down to how you play - reputations don't matter on the field. We have a very good team for T20 and our confidence is high. We are not going to the West Indies to socialise, we want to make our nation proud."

The nation is already proud of them. Shahzad and his teammates returned to Kabul yesterday morning to a hero's welcome. "Every time we return home, we are given a grand welcome," says Shahzad. "We have seen 25,000 to 30,000 people come to receive us at the airport. So their love and prayers have a great motivating effect on the team. "It is the reason why we want to keep winning - to bring joy to their lives and, God willing, we will do more of that in the West Indies." @Email:arizvi@thenational.ae

The smuggler

Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple. 
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.

Khouli conviction

Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.

For sale

A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.

- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico

- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000

- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950

Test

Director: S Sashikanth

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Section 375

Cast: Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha, Meera Chopra & Rahul Bhat

Director: Ajay Bahl

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Rating: 3.5/5

NO OTHER LAND

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The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

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Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

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The White Lotus: Season three

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Why your domicile status is important

Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.

Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born. 

UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.

A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.

The%20Beekeeper
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Election pledges on migration

CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections" 

SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom" 

2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups

Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.

Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.

Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).

Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.

Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.

Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.