THE WINDING ROAD
Ba, 29, joined Besiktas last September, from Chelsea, where he spent 18 months mostly on the margins of the first team, though contributed important goals there. Moving on to find fulfilment was nothing new. Turkey’s is his fifth different league, having begun his career in his native France, travelled to Belgium, and Mouscron, then won promotion from Germany’s second division to its top flight with Hoffenheim. His goals there led to his joining West Ham United. When they were relegated from the English Premier League, he switched to Newcastle United, and then Chelsea.
PERSEVERANCE PAYS
He had also known painful rejection as a young man. He undertook trials at Lyon and Auxerre, without success, and voyaged around England, where Barnsley, Watford and Gillingham invited him to train but offered no contract. In Germany, Stuttgart wanted him but he failed a medical. The same thing happened at Stoke.
WAR OF WORDS
Ba won his first cap for Senegal eight years ago, scoring on his debut. He has often been in competition with illustrious compatriots for a starting place in the national team, including his friend Moussa Sow, now of Fenerbahce, and former Newcastle team-mate Papiss Cisse. But he felt angry to be left out of plans for the current Africa Cup of Nations, and accused Senegal head coach, Alain Giresse, of acting “not like a manager but like someone’s puppet!” When Sow scored the winning goal against Ghana in their opening Nations Cup match, he devoted the strike to his absent friend Ba.
BESIKTAS BLITZ
Ba started his Besiktas career in style. A hat-trick against Feyenoord in August put the club into the Champions League play-offs, where they lost narrowly to Arsenal. His European goalcoring form continued in the Europa League, where he struck five in four group-phase matches. In the tussle for the league, where Besiktas are second, a point behind Fenerbahce, and ahead of Galatasaray only on goal difference, Ba has eight from 13 games. He will look to add to that tally while his friend Sow, Fenerbahce’s top marksman with six so far, is away.
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The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
India squads
T20: Rohit Sharma (c), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Krunal Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Chahar, Deepak Chahar, Khaleel Ahmed, Shivam Dube, Shardul Thakur
Test: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
UAE cricketers abroad
Sid Jhurani is not the first cricketer from the UAE to go to the UK to try his luck.
Rameez Shahzad Played alongside Ben Stokes and Liam Plunkett in Durham while he was studying there. He also played club cricket as an overseas professional, but his time in the UK stunted his UAE career. The batsman went a decade without playing for the national team.
Yodhin Punja The seam bowler was named in the UAE’s extended World Cup squad in 2015 despite being just 15 at the time. He made his senior UAE debut aged 16, and subsequently took up a scholarship at Claremont High School in the south of England.
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
