Nursing cramp and heat exhaustion, but also the warm glow of satisfaction, Aayan Afzal Khan sent a message of thanks halfway across the world to his parents, after scripting one of the greatest wins in the history of UAE cricket.
The Sharjah schoolboy, who only turned 16 in November, played the seminal role in the national age-group side’s extraordinary 82-run win over West Indies in the Under 19 World Cup on Friday.
Victory put the UAE into Monday’s plate final, where they will play the winner of Saturday’s second semi-final between Ireland and Zimbabwe.
All had seemed lost when the hosts reduced them to 24 for four in Trinidad, only for Aayan to alter the face of the game.
The Goa-born allrounder, who has lived in UAE since he was two years old, made 93 before he was the last player out. That underpinned UAE’s total of 224 for nine.
West Indies scarcely threatened in reply, and Aayan even returned to the field to take the final wicket – having earlier been stretchered off while suffering from cramp.
The teen put his success down to the sacrifices made by his father, Afzal, and mother, Shahista, to help him pursue cricket.
“My parents have come through a lot of struggles and brought me at here at this stage, and I would like to thank them a lot,” Aayan said.
“I have been working hard to achieve this for the past six months. It’s every child’s dream to play for your country, and score a crucial knock for your team in a crucial game.
“My dad has been training me from when I was five years old, and it’s his dream that I represent my country and play well whenever I get chance.
“He has trained me in batting a lot and he focuses on my cricket a lot. He is strict at times which helps me always to perform good.
“He has said me never to give up in any situation when you’re playing for your country. [Against West Indies] I got hit on my hand but still kept playing, so he has helped me a lot. He always takes me to practice whenever he gets time. He spends hours with me at training.”
Aayan’s batting feats against the hosts arrived in spite of the fact he is regarded as a left-arm spinner first and foremost.
Until this point in the tournament, he had been batting deep in the tail, but was promoted as UAE dealt with a number of absences due to Covid and food poisoning.
“I have been batting lower down the order but was patient and waiting for a chance to bat up the order and score some runs for my country,” he said.
“Two days before West Indies game our head coach Mudassar-sir [Nazar] and assistant coach Najib [Amar] said that I’ll be playing at six against West Indies.
“They gave me enough time to prepare mentally. I was ready to bat up the order, and Alhamdullilah I proved myself.
“I was happy that I was able to score some crucial runs for my country and lead them to a victory against a Test nation. It’s great feeling for me scoring 93.”
Aayan hopes the win, which ranks among the finest ever by any UAE side, is being well-received back at home.
“It’s a big achievement for us as an Associate nation beating a Test nation by almost 100 runs so the celebrations were wild,” he said.
“We were very happy with how the match went and looking forward to the finals which is big game for us. Winning the plate would be a very big achievement for us because everyone back in our home country will be proud of us.”
Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
La Mer lowdown
La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The team
Videographer: Jear Velasquez
Photography: Romeo Perez
Fashion director: Sarah Maisey
Make-up: Gulum Erzincan at Art Factory
Models: Meti and Clinton at MMG
Video assistant: Zanong Maget
Social media: Fatima Al Mahmoud
Sukuk explained
Sukuk are Sharia-compliant financial certificates issued by governments, corporates and other entities. While as an asset class they resemble conventional bonds, there are some significant differences. As interest is prohibited under Sharia, sukuk must contain an underlying transaction, for example a leaseback agreement, and the income that is paid to investors is generated by the underlying asset. Investors must also be prepared to share in both the profits and losses of an enterprise. Nevertheless, sukuk are similar to conventional bonds in that they provide regular payments, and are considered less risky than equities. Most investors would not buy sukuk directly due to high minimum subscriptions, but invest via funds.
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face
The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.
