Maya Angelou, the American poet, once wrote: "I long, as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself." It is an emotion that most of us can relate to, unless we are cricketers or footballers playing a World Cup.
Home advantage counts for a lot in sport. Some stadiums have been compared to fortresses or citadels, and have an aura that can intimidate visiting teams even before they set foot on the park.
No visiting team won a Test match at the Kensington Oval in Barbados between 1935 and 1994. Carisbrook in Dunedin, New Zealand, was an All Black stronghold until it was closed this year. Rugby teams that played there quickly understood why it was called the House of Pain.
When Elvir Boli scored for Turkey's Fenerbahce at Old Trafford in October 1996, it ended Manchester United's unbeaten home record in European competition that had lasted four decades. And in the days when Liverpool reigned supreme, Bill Shankly said of the This is Anfield sign in the tunnel: "It's there to remind our lads who they're playing for and to remind the opposition who they're playing against."
Home comfort, though, is rare in the context of a World Cup. There was a time when hosting a football one gave you a pretty good chance of winning it. England did so in 1966, and both West Germany and Argentina were hosts when they won in 1974 and 1978. Since then, however, only one host nation has come out on top - France in 1998.
It is very different when the ball is oval. The rugby World Cup of 2007 marked the first time that a host nation had not at least made the final. New Zealand in 1987 and South Africa in 1995 won on home turf, while England (1991) and Australia (2003) failed only at the final hurdle.
In cricket, the pressure of playing at home appears to afflict even the best teams. The mediocre ones do not have a chance. Only one team - Sri Lanka, co-hosts in 1996 - have managed to live up to home-crowd expectations and they were helped by exceptional circumstances.
Australia and West Indies declined to play after security concerns and forfeits granted by two teams that would make the semi-finals helped ease Sri Lanka's path.
By and large though, hosting the event has been the kiss of death. England reached the semi-finals in the first three Prudential World Cups, but the 1979 final was a one-sided affair remembered for Viv Richards' masterful 138, a breathtaking 66-ball 86 from Collis King and Joel Garner's yorkers that ended the home challenge.
India and Pakistan were both heavily favoured in 1987, the first time the subcontinent hosted the event. India were defending champions, and had also won the World Championship of Cricket two years earlier. But after breezing through the group stage, they came a cropper against Graham Gooch's repertoire of sweeps in the Mumbai semi-final.
Across the border, Pakistan made similarly emphatic progress into the final four. But with the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore abuzz with excitement, they stumbled against the pace and accuracy of Craig McDermott. Allan Border's unfancied Australian side won by 18 runs, exactly what a nerveless young man called Stephen Waugh had scored in Saleem Jaffar's final over.
Four years on, when Australia defended their title, they were coming off the longest of summers. A tired team seldom got going, with a dramatic one-run victory over India at the Gabba one of the few highlights of a disappointing campaign.
Across the Tasman Sea, New Zealand did much better, topping the league table and then dominating three-quarters of the semi-final against Pakistan. But then a 21-year-old Inzamam-ul-Haq came to the crease and with Javed Miandad there to guide him, New Zealand's dream was extinguished.
English cricket reached its nadir in 1999 and that was reflected by a World Cup misadventure that ended long before the Super-Six stage. Eight years later, West Indies did make the Super Eight, but were so poor that a fan held a gun to a player's head in Grenada when he felt he had been out too late partying.
But no host has ever underachieved quite like South Africa in 2003. Ambushed by Brian Lara's brilliance on the opening day, they were then beaten by a combination of Stephen Fleming's New Zealand and Duckworth-Lewis before the unkindest cut of all in Durban. With the dressing-room unable to make sense of the chart with par scores, Mark Boucher patted back the last ball before the rain came down against Sri Lanka. It was a joke rather than a choke, only 42 million people were not laughing.
For India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, the challenge over the next six weeks is to cope with the familiar.
'Gold'
Director:Anthony Hayes
Stars:Zaf Efron, Anthony Hayes
Rating:3/5
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed
Based: Muscat
Launch year: 2018
Number of employees: 40
Sector: Online food delivery
Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
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
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Marital status: Single
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
The 100 Best Novels in Translation
Boyd Tonkin, Galileo Press
What drives subscription retailing?
Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.
The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.
The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.
The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.
UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.
That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.
Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Film: Raid
Dir: Rajkumar Gupta
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Ileana D'cruz and Saurabh Shukla
Verdict: Three stars
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%C2%A0profile
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
