In some respects, Ali Naseer will be fulfilling his father’s dream this month when he plays alongside some of the stars of international sport, for a Glazer-owned team, wearing red and black.
The teen prodigy from Dubai is one of four home-based players in the Desert Vipers squad for the ILT20, which starts on Friday.
The fact they are owned by Lancer Capital, the parent company of Manchester United, will strike a chord with Naseer Sr.
Aamer is, after all, a keen fan of the Old Trafford club and first nudged his son in the direction of football rather than cricket. It was why Naseer was a relatively late starter in cricket, only taking to the sport at the age of 12.
“He tried to get me into football at an early age, but I wasn’t very good,” Naseer, 18, said.
“He said, ‘OK, fine – you can try cricket’. I was pretty good for my age, and that is where it started.”
To say he took to it quickly is an understatement. After immediately showing promise, his mother, Talat, enrolled him in training at the ICC Academy in Dubai.
By the time he was 15, he was already good enough to be selected to play for the UAE at the Under-19 World Cup in South Africa.
When he played again at the competition in the Caribbean two years later, he scored a rapid half-century against England, and later helped UAE claim a ground-breaking win against West Indies.
Less than a year later, he has been recruited to play alongside the likes of Alex Hales, Wanindu Hasaranga, Colin Munro and Tymal Mills in the UAE’s new T20 league.
Naseer found out the good news when he woke up in his room at his student accommodation in the UK.
He attends university in Leeds, where he dovetails studying sports business management with attempting to earn a place in the MCC Universities side.
When he opened the message from the Vipers, it was not the only reason he was eager to get back home.
“When I got [to the UK for his first semester] it was 2 degrees, and when I left it was -4 degrees and snowing,” Naseer said. “I love being back in Dubai.”
Now he could be just days away from bowling against the likes of Kieron Pollard or Nicholas Pooran. A daunting prospect for a raw teen? Naseer cannot wait.
“I’ll be nervous of course, but I think cricket is about enjoying the game,” Naseer, who was born in Pakistan before moving with his family to Dubai when he was aged four, said.
“I would just go out there and have fun, and just enjoy myself.
“As of now, all of us UAE players are a mystery. That can play to our advantage, as they won’t immediately know how to play us, or how to bowl to us. It is a good opportunity to make a name for ourselves.”
Mudassar Nazar, the former Pakistan international who coached Naseer at both ICC Academy and with UAE U19s, reckons his former charge is primed to make an impression.
“He likes to get on with it, and sometimes he can be rash,” Nazar said.
“But if I were to pick one guy from the U19 squad, he would be the one. So much so, that I feel that if he were in Pakistan, and coming through the academy system, he would have played for Pakistan [already].”
Naseer is keen to catch the eye for reasons other than just to help the Vipers excel. The UAE national team will play two crucial World Cup League Two tri-series in short order after the conclusion of the ILT20.
They need to revive their World Cup qualifying prospects, and Naseer hopes to be part of the solution.
“If I have a good tournament, I could be knocking on the door of the UAE men’s team,” he said.
“I know they have World Cup qualifiers coming up, which they need to win. I’m hoping to be in that team.”
RACECARD
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The%20Specs
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Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Company%20profile
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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Watford v Leicester City (3.30pm)
Brighton v Arsenal (6pm)
West Ham v Wolves (8.30pm)
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace (10.45pm)
Sunday
Newcastle United v Sheffield United (5pm)
Aston Villa v Chelsea (7.15pm)
Everton v Liverpool (10pm)
Monday
Manchester City v Burnley (11pm)
'How To Build A Boat'
Jonathan Gornall, Simon & Schuster
Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
- Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
- Rational thinking: Breathe and avoid emotional decision-making; let logic and planning guide your actions.
- Strategic patience: Understand why you’re investing and allow time for your strategies to unfold.
The Saga Continues
Wu-Tang Clan
(36 Chambers / Entertainment One)
ENGLAND SQUAD
For first two Test in India Joe Root (captain), Jofra Archer, Moeen Ali, James Anderson , Dom Bess, Stuart Broad , Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes. Reserves James Bracey, Mason Crane, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Robinson, Amar Virdi.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
CABINET%20OF%20CURIOSITIES%20EPISODE%201%3A%20LOT%2036
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THE SPECS
Touareg Highline
Engine: 3.0-litre, V6
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 340hp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh239,312
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
