When Ahmed Raza was invited to train with Australia at Lord’s back in 2019, the UAE captain probably thought his summer holiday could not really get much better.
Looking back now, though, that stint mixing with some of the world’s leading players at the Home of Cricket was really just a footnote to the real story of the trip.
On October 23, a little over two years after they were first introduced to each other via mutual friends during his time in London, Raza married Mehreen Tahir.
Now, after scarcely a month of wedded bliss living together in Dubai, Mehreen is already set for an introduction to the life of a 'cricket widow'.
Raza is flying off to Windhoek to lead the national team in their Cricket World Cup League Two tri-series against Namibia and Oman.
Happily, she was well briefed on what it might be like being married to an international sportsman.
“I know he’s doing what he loves, and to see that cricket is finally back is amazing because it means the world is returning to normal,” Mehreen said.
“I know what I signed up for, and I am a cricket fanatic myself. I absolutely love cricket. Even before I met Ahmed, my first ever visit to UAE was to go to the stadium in Abu Dhabi to watch Pakistan and Australia.
“It is amazing that I’m married to a cricketer now. My dad played, and it is a sport that has been around my family for a long time. All my sisters are into it.
“When the big games happen all the family gets together. We have all been watching Ahmed’s matches at home. It was such a proud moment.”
While Raza is in Namibia, his wife will be back in England attempting to tie up the loose ends on her transfer to Dubai, with her job as a business analyst for a corporation which produces perfumes.
It seems apt that their life as newlyweds is a little complex, given what they went through to actually get married. As is the way of the world at present, little ran smoothly.
A case of Covid within Mehreen’s family meant none of them were able to travel to Pakistan for the planned festivities – including the bride herself.
The service was eventually conducted over Zoom, before they subsequently travelled to Istanbul, which is where they first met as husband and wife.
“Everything was ready for us, but God had different plans,” Raza said. “We were just happy and thankful that eventually it happened, and everything is good.
“Since we got back from Turkey I haven’t had a day off as we have been training for Namibia.
“That has been another thing she has been dealing with. She has already had to deal with quite a lot.”
Mehreen is equally sanguine about what has happened. “There was a lot of drama involved but the end goal was just for us to be married,” she said.
“We will take that. We are thinking of doing something next year once I’ve finally moved here.”
Raza says he remains focused on the day job, despite his change in personal status.
“We haven’t played the Cricket World Cup League for a year and a half now,” Raza said.
“The focus remains the same for us. It is going to be challenging for us because Oman and Namibia are both coming off decent outings at the T20 World Cup.
“This is a different format [50 overs], and we have done well against Namibia in the past. We have only played one game against Oman so far, so we are really looking to get some points there.
“We have been waiting for this. An extra game [a fixture against Oman is outstanding after it was postponed because of the death of Sultan Qaboos bin Said in 2020] means an extra chance for two points. We are happy that game wasn’t called off and the points were shared.”
The World Cup League is part of the qualifying process for the 2023 World Cup. If the UAE do make it to that competition, it could pit them against Pakistan – meaning a test of the loyalties of Mehreen, who has always supported Pakistan.
Only it would not be a test at all, really. “Obviously my husband and UAE,” she said, when asked who she would support if that scenario ever did come to pass.
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.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, second leg:
Liverpool (0) v Barcelona (3), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Game is on BeIN Sports
Results
United States beat UAE by three wickets
United States beat Scotland by 35 runs
UAE v Scotland – no result
United States beat UAE by 98 runs
Scotland beat United States by four wickets
Fixtures
Sunday, 10am, ICC Academy, Dubai - UAE v Scotland
Admission is free
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg result:
Ajax 2-3 Tottenham
Tottenham advance on away goals rule after tie ends 3-3 on aggregate
Final: June 1, Madrid
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Thanksgiving meals to try
World Cut Steakhouse, Habtoor Palace Hotel, Dubai. On Thursday evening, head chef Diego Solis will be serving a high-end sounding four-course meal that features chestnut veloute with smoked duck breast, turkey roulade accompanied by winter vegetables and foie gras and pecan pie, cranberry compote and popcorn ice cream.
Jones the Grocer, various locations across the UAE. Jones’s take-home holiday menu delivers on the favourites: whole roast turkeys, an array of accompaniments (duck fat roast potatoes, sausages wrapped in beef bacon, honey-glazed parsnips and carrots) and more, as well as festive food platters, canapes and both apple and pumpkin pies.
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, The Address Hotel, Dubai. This New Orleans-style restaurant is keen to take the stress out of entertaining, so until December 25 you can order a full seasonal meal from its Takeaway Turkey Feast menu, which features turkey, homemade gravy and a selection of sides – think green beans with almond flakes, roasted Brussels sprouts, sweet potato casserole and bread stuffing – to pick up and eat at home.
The Mattar Farm Kitchen, Dubai. From now until Christmas, Hattem Mattar and his team will be producing game- changing smoked turkeys that you can enjoy at home over the festive period.
Nolu’s, The Galleria Mall, Maryah Island Abu Dhabi. With much of the menu focused on a California inspired “farm to table” approach (with Afghani influence), it only seems right that Nolu’s will be serving their take on the Thanksgiving spread, with a brunch at the Downtown location from 12pm to 4pm on Friday.
England's lowest Test innings
- 45 v Australia in Sydney, January 28, 1887
- 46 v West Indies in Port of Spain, March 25, 1994
- 51 v West Indies in Kingston, February 4, 2009
- 52 v Australia at The Oval, August 14, 1948
- 53 v Australia at Lord's, July 16, 1888
- 58 v New Zealand in Auckland, March 22, 2018
Scores
New Zealand 266 for 9 in 50 overs
Pakistan 219 all out in 47.2 overs
New Zealand win by 47 runs
Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company
The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.
He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.
“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.
HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.
With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.
The Orwell Prize for Political Writing
Twelve books were longlisted for The Orwell Prize for Political Writing. The non-fiction works cover various themes from education, gender bias, and the environment to surveillance and political power. Some of the books that made it to the non-fiction longlist include:
- Appeasing Hitler: Chamberlain, Churchill and the Road to War by Tim Bouverie
- Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me by Kate Clanchy
- Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez
- Follow Me, Akhi: The Online World of British Muslims by Hussein Kesvani
- Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of ISIS by Azadeh Moaveni
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