The 90 players who have been selected to play in the first FairBreak Invitational in Dubai might each have reason to feel a slight sense of apprehension before their tournament debuts.
The captains might be concerned about remembering all the names of each of their new colleagues, and what exactly they all do.
Those playing in front of a global TV audience for the first time might be forgiven for feeling a little stage fright.
And for Sana Mir, she might be concerned about whether she can remember exactly what it is she is supposed to be doing, and whether to follow signs to the dressing room rather than the commentary box.
Mir ended a trailblazing career for Pakistan two years ago, and has carved out a career for herself in the media in the time since.
She will come out of retirement to lead South Coast Sapphires in the T20 tournament at Dubai International Stadium.
“It is great to be back, but at one point I thought I had forgotten how to bowl,” Mir, the former Pakistan captain and off-spinner, said.
The 36-year-old bowler will take her first steps back onto the playing field when the Sapphires face the Tornadoes in the first fixture of Day 2 of the competition in Sports City on Thursday.
She says she has been working on her fitness when commentary duties, such as at the World Cup in New Zealand in March and April, have permitted at the Shalimar Ground in Islamabad.
Players to watch
“I’ve been practicing bowling on and off for the past four months but then I went to the World Cup,” said Mir, who played over 220 international matches for Pakistan.
“So most of the training happened in Ramadan back at home in a club in Islamabad. They were kind enough to extend the use of their facilities to me, so I moved to that city, where I didn’t know anybody.
“They were very generous and I practiced with my old coach from my departmental team and focused on practicing my skills.
“The way I see it, this tournament is more about getting performances out of players and chipping in wherever I can.
“Mostly for me, it is about using the resources as best as I can. Generally as a player I always believed in quality of practice rather than quantity.”
Mir said she is happy in her retirement, even if the initial break with the sport was tough.
She has taken up golf – although she reckons she is “not good at it” – and has joined a study group reading poetry.
“The first 10 months were really tough, to be honest, but the past 12 have been great because I have started to enjoy commentary a lot,” she said.
“I have had great opportunities with PSL and with men’s domestic cricket at home in Pakistan, then with the Women’s World Cup in New Zealand. That was huge.
“And now I have developed other hobbies. When I was playing, it was only cricket. I think the balance in my life is much better now.”
Mir is one of a sizeable contingent of Pakistan players featuring in the FairBreak event, with Bismah Maroof and Fatima Sana, the ICC’s emerging cricketer of the year, also travelling for the competition.
The returning veteran says she is happy for the chance to share a dressing room with players from as diverse destinations as Kuwait, the United States and the Philippines.
“It is great to be able to share experiences with other players, not only from your own country, but from other countries, too,” Mir said.
“It gives me great satisfaction to be able to do that.”
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What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
Dhadak
Director: Shashank Khaitan
Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
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Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S
Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900
Engine: 937cc
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Match info
Liverpool 3
Hoedt (10' og), Matip (21'), Salah (45 3')
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Small Victories: The True Story of Faith No More by Adrian Harte
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Multitasking pays off for money goals
Tackling money goals one at a time cost financial literacy expert Barbara O'Neill at least $1 million.
That's how much Ms O'Neill, a distinguished professor at Rutgers University in the US, figures she lost by starting saving for retirement only after she had created an emergency fund, bought a car with cash and purchased a home.
"I tell students that eventually, 30 years later, I hit the million-dollar mark, but I could've had $2 million," Ms O'Neill says.
Too often, financial experts say, people want to attack their money goals one at a time: "As soon as I pay off my credit card debt, then I'll start saving for a home," or, "As soon as I pay off my student loan debt, then I'll start saving for retirement"."
People do not realise how costly the words "as soon as" can be. Paying off debt is a worthy goal, but it should not come at the expense of other goals, particularly saving for retirement. The sooner money is contributed, the longer it can benefit from compounded returns. Compounded returns are when your investment gains earn their own gains, which can dramatically increase your balances over time.
"By putting off saving for the future, you are really inhibiting yourself from benefiting from that wonderful magic," says Kimberly Zimmerman Rand , an accredited financial counsellor and principal at Dragonfly Financial Solutions in Boston. "If you can start saving today ... you are going to have a lot more five years from now than if you decide to pay off debt for three years and start saving in year four."
Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
