After weeks of anticipation one of the world’s greatest sporting rivalries finally got underway on Wednesday, in a fanfare of energy and noise.
Indian and Pakistani cricket fans flowed into Dubai International Cricket Stadium from all corners of the emirate to watch the epic Asia Cup clash unfold.
The last time the two cricketing titans came together, Pakistan delivered a thumping 180-run win at the Champions Trophy in London.
So humiliating was the defeat that Indian fans were desperate for a reversal of fortune this time around.
“This game is what cricket is all about for us,” said Indian supporter Vijay Fulwani, 29, a textiles businessman from Andhra Pradesh in the southeast of the country.
“No other matches matter - this is so important. We love our wicketkeeper MS Dhoni. He’s the main man and will become prime minister one day.
“I'll travel anywhere to watch him bat, as long as India wins of course.”
Sparks often fly when India and Pakistan come face to face in front of the stumps.
Since partition in 1947, India has yet to lose to Pakistan in a World Cup, although Pakistan has recorded smaller, albeit still notable victories.
Pakistan fan Haroon Rashid, 30, a human resources consultant from Peshawar was at the match with his partner, an Indian supporter.
“There has been a bit of friction between the nations and we know it’s a big game," he said. "But it’s all friendly between the two of us.
“It's been a topic of discussion over the breakfast table as it’s the first time we’ve played each other since we’ve been together.
“The rivalry makes these games even more special when they come around.”
Although police were out in force to maintain order, there was little sign of the excitement spilling over as thousands of fans piled through the turnstiles.
Benali Mazumdar, 29, an aeronautical engineer from Kolkata in the far northeast of India, said the one-day clash with Pakistan had been in her diary for months.
“Cricket is everything in India and the games against Pakistan are not like any others,” she said.
“To win means so much to everyone. This rivalry is about politics, our governments and the long history between our two countries.
“This is more than sport, it is symbolic and gives us our identity. But we know it’s just a game and we must all get along.
“It’s a shame we will not see Virat Kohli bat, but we have Dhoni - he is such as special player.”
On Tuesday, a nervous India edged home against Hong Kong in their first match at this year’s Asia Cup.
The game added further intrigue for fans desperate to second-guess what could unfold in the 50 over clash with Pakistan.
With both teams expected to face each other again in the final this Friday, the first fixture was an early opportunity to inflict some psychological damage.
Many fans travelled from their home countries to catch a glimpse of their heroes, with fast bowler Mohammed Amir and star batsman Mahindra Singh Dhoni taking top billing.
Bilal Hayat, 30, who works in client services, said he and his wife Fatima, 29, had flown in from Karachi to support his beloved Pakistan.
Those spectators living in Dubai had an altogether more convenient journey to the ground, despite the heavy traffic.
“This is the first time in a while we have played each other at a neutral venue that's close by,” said Mr Hayat.
“I’ve been to Dubai before but it is the first time for my wife.
“I wouldn’t say this is a friendly rivalry, not when it comes to cricket anyway. Things change when we play these big matches.
“It doesn’t matter what the tournament is or where it is being played, this is always a special match."
Mr and Mrs Hayat said they were planning to stay in Dubai until the final next week.
“There’s such as buzz about the stadium - an amazing atmosphere,” said Fatima.
“It is hard to think of this is just a game - there’s so much passion. Although we travelled quite a long way it’s been worth it. I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
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Read more:
The UAE's 'home' game: India and Pakistan cricket fans get ready for latest chapter in fierce sporting rivalry
After Asia Cup, Hong Kong cricket fans can look up to their own stars
Fans facing traffic holdups ahead of India v Pakistan clash
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By 6.40pm, Pakistan, who batted first, were all out for 162. As India’s opening batsmen took to the field the 25,000 capacity crowd roared in delight.
Businessman Deepak Gamnani, 40, from Andhra Pradesh, said excitement had been building all week.
“All of our colleagues have been talking about the game and trying to get tickets,” he said.
“It’s been the only topic of conversation and I can’t believe this day has arrived.
“There seems to be a lot more India fans here, so we’ll make our voices heard in the stadium.”
India went on to win the match by eight wickets.
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
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
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Five ways to get fit like Craig David (we tried for seven but ran out of time)
Start the week as you mean to go on. So get your training on strong on a Monday.
Train hard, but don’t take it all so seriously that it gets to the point where you’re not having fun and enjoying your friends and your family and going out for nice meals and doing that stuff.
Think about what you’re training or eating a certain way for — don’t, for example, get a six-pack to impress somebody else or lose weight to conform to society’s norms. It’s all nonsense.
Get your priorities right.
And last but not least, you should always, always chill on Sundays.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
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Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Virtual banks explained
What is a virtual bank?
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority defines it as a bank that delivers services through the internet or other electronic channels instead of physical branches. That means not only facilitating payments but accepting deposits and making loans, just like traditional ones. Other terms used interchangeably include digital or digital-only banks or neobanks. By contrast, so-called digital wallets or e-wallets such as Apple Pay, PayPal or Google Pay usually serve as intermediaries between a consumer’s traditional account or credit card and a merchant, usually via a smartphone or computer.
What’s the draw in Asia?
Hundreds of millions of people under-served by traditional institutions, for one thing. In China, India and elsewhere, digital wallets such as Alipay, WeChat Pay and Paytm have already become ubiquitous, offering millions of people an easy way to store and spend their money via mobile phone. Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines are also among the world’s biggest under-banked countries; together they have almost half a billion people.
Is Hong Kong short of banks?
No, but the city is among the most cash-reliant major economies, leaving room for newcomers to disrupt the entrenched industry. Ant Financial, an Alibaba Group Holding affiliate that runs Alipay and MYBank, and Tencent Holdings, the company behind WeBank and WeChat Pay, are among the owners of the eight ventures licensed to create virtual banks in Hong Kong, with operations expected to start as early as the end of the year.
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
How Alia's experiment will help humans get to Mars
Alia’s winning experiment examined how genes might change under the stresses caused by being in space, such as cosmic radiation and microgravity.
Her samples were placed in a machine on board the International Space Station. called a miniPCR thermal cycler, which can copy DNA multiple times.
After the samples were examined on return to Earth, scientists were able to successfully detect changes caused by being in space in the way DNA transmits instructions through proteins and other molecules in living organisms.
Although Alia’s samples were taken from nematode worms, the results have much bigger long term applications, especially for human space flight and long term missions, such as to Mars.
It also means that the first DNA experiments using human genomes can now be carried out on the ISS.
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
