Ahmed Raza fought back tears after becoming the third captain to lead UAE to a World Cup in cricket, pointing out: “The struggle has been real.”
Minutes earlier, the Sharjah-born spin bowler had knelt in prayer after taking his fifth wicket of the T20 World Cup semi-final against Nepal in Muscat.
Moments after that, most of his teammates had been doing the same at various points of the field, after the final wicket had fallen in their 68-run win.
Victory meant the UAE can start booking flights to Australia for the main event in October.
Raza has been there before. For the 2015 World Cup, he went to Perth and Brisbane as a supporter of the UAE team, despite nursing a broken heart over missing out on the squad.
“The struggle has been real,” said Raza, who took 5-19 in the win over Nepal.
“The last time I went to a World Cup was in 2014 [the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh], and I didn’t make it to Australia in 2015. So this was very special and very emotional.
“It was surreal when everything was falling into place for us. I was thinking: the game is not over yet, the game is not over yet. At the back of my mind, I knew it was.
“In that moment, it felt like my life has come full circle now. Last time UAE played, I wasn’t in the squad, but I still went there.
“Life is taking me back there now, hopefully still as captain of UAE. I helped my team to qualify, and there are not many captains who have done that for UAE in the past.
“I feel part of an elite group now. It is a huge achievement, and it is a very emotional one because it has been a very long journey.”
UAE have been to three World Cups before. Sultan Zarawani led the side to their debut on the global stage back in 1996.
Khurram Khan was captain as the side qualified for both the T20 version in 2014 and the 2015 one-day international format – even if he did cede the role for the latter to Mohammed Tauqir by the time the competition came around.
Each of those leaders faced their own challenges, but the one facing Raza when he took the reins was particularly monumental. He was handed the captaincy in the midst of the biggest crisis ever witnessed in the game in the emirates.
Three players were thrown out of the squad for corruption on the eve of the 2019 T20 Qualifier, including the captain Mohammed Naveed. In the time since, seven senior players have been banned for a combined total of 49 years for corruption.
All the while, Raza was busy constructing a new young side to represent the country where he was born and raised.
“If you look back at 2019, it started with Vriitya [Aravind], Karthik [Meiyappan], Junaid [Siddique],” Raza said.
“I remember handing out five debut caps in one of the games. Then we came here to Oman for the Asia Cup Qualifier, we were handing out caps in every single game.
“From there, to the place we are now, huge credit goes to everyone who has been involved in the journey. Especially the backroom staff and us senior players.
“It was us who had to lift everyone. We have been blessed with some great youngsters, who have come into their own in this tournament.”
One of those youngsters, Aravind, extended his lead at the top of the run-scoring charts in the Qualifier with another spellbinding effort against Nepal. He blazed 46 in 23 balls to set UAE on their way to an imposing total of 175-7.
Muhammad Waseem top scored with a sparkling 70 from 48 balls, then took three catches as Nepal were bowled out for 107.
“We have kept believing in ourselves and we have done it,” Waseem said. “It is a dream come true, Alhamdulillah, and we will try to do our best in Australia.”
How to improve Arabic reading in early years
One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient
The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers
Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades
Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic
First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations
Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades
Improve the appearance of textbooks
Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings
Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught
Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar
Breast cancer in men: the facts
1) Breast cancer is men is rare but can develop rapidly. It usually occurs in those over the ages of 60, but can occasionally affect younger men.
2) Symptoms can include a lump, discharge, swollen glands or a rash.
3) People with a history of cancer in the family can be more susceptible.
4) Treatments include surgery and chemotherapy but early diagnosis is the key.
5) Anyone concerned is urged to contact their doctor
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Short-term let permits explained
Homeowners and tenants are allowed to list their properties for rental by registering through the Dubai Tourism website to obtain a permit.
Tenants also require a letter of no objection from their landlord before being allowed to list the property.
There is a cost of Dh1,590 before starting the process, with an additional licence fee of Dh300 per bedroom being rented in your home for the duration of the rental, which ranges from three months to a year.
Anyone hoping to list a property for rental must also provide a copy of their title deeds and Ejari, as well as their Emirates ID.
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
