The DP World International League T20 is a mere 40 overs old, but it has already delivered its first feel-good story for UAE cricket.
Akif Rafa might have been forgiven for feeling a little starry-eyed while sharing a viewing area with teammates like Joe Root, Rovman Powell and Robin Uthappa during Friday’s lavish opening ceremony.
After all, this was by far the most high-profile cricket he has tasted in the six years since he left his native Lahore to take up a job as a storekeeper in Abu Dhabi.
As recently as last month, the 30-year-old Pakistani had been a net bowler for England when they were training in Dubai.
He has had a modest international career of his own so far, including five ODIs, three T20Is, plus around 18 months’ worth of carrying the drinks for his UAE national teammates.
So, when he was tossed the ball as his Dubai Capitals side went about defending 188 against Abu Dhabi Knights Riders, with thousands in the stands and potentially millions watching on TV, the nerves were tangible.
“This is a big league for us,” Raja said after his side had completed a comfortable debut win at Dubai International Stadium.
“We are Associate players, and not famous in the world. But I felt famous when I delivered the first ball.
“I was very excited. My first match, and I got my debut wicket. I just tried to bowl at the stumps and focus on the right length.”
With just his second delivery, he induced an edge from Brandon King, the Jamaican batter, which was easily taken at the wicket by Uthappa, the Indian Premier League veteran.
Raja was clearly ready for this, seeing as he already had a choreographed celebration routine. He stood with one arm in the air, and the other covering his mouth.
“I was playing in the D10 [a UAE domestic 10-over competition], and I had a little fight with a guy,” Raja explained.
“He is my good friend now, but after it, the umpires called me and said I should not do that – even though it was not my fault.
“After that, I called my mum. She said, ‘Please, Akif, don’t do that. Just keep your mouth quiet and focus on your cricket. Give your answers with your bat and ball'.
“That is why I did that celebration. It means: silence is not empty, it is full of answers.”
Raja has always followed the counsel of his mother, Nasreen Akhtar. After all, it is the main reason he is a cricketer.
His father, Raja Arif Ullah Khan, had been against the idea of his son pursuing such a precarious career.
“Before, he did not like cricket,” Raja said. “He said, ‘We don’t have a lot of money, cricket is not for you’. I just said, ‘Dad, please, give me a chance, I want to play cricket’.
“He told me not to play, but my mum always supported me. She just said, ‘No worries, you keep going. Keep playing cricket and don’t focus on what your dad says. Let him say what he says’.”
After playing one match of first-class cricket in Pakistan’s Qaid-e-Azam Trophy, Raja decided on a new, more financially secure life in the UAE six years ago.
He took a job with New Medical Centre in the UAE capital. He moved to Sharjah after being handed a new job with MGM on the strength of his cricket.
Soon after, he was attracting the attention of the national team. He made a match-defining impact on his UAE debut against Ireland in a T20I in 2022, but his chances have been limited since.
“I was injured, and I missed the T20 World Cup [in Australia in October],” he said.
“It was my dream to play in the World Cup, but it is a part of life. Alhamdulillah I am very happy to be part of ILT20 with Dubai Capitals. They arranged trials in Dubai, I bowled very well, and they picked me.”
Maybe a few tips from the famous friends he made while training with James Anderson, Jofra Archer, and the England Lions during their training camp at The Sevens, Dubai at the end of last year helped.
“Jofra Archer guided me a lot,” Raja said. “He told me I was good enough. He just suggested I focus on my line, try to bowl wicket to wicket, and hit the stumps.”
Sadly, Raja’s emergence in ILT20 has come too late to impress his father. Raja Arif died from Covid while his son was in Dubai playing cricket.
“I was playing in D10 when I found out the news my father had died,” he said. “I could not go to Pakistan after his death. I am very sad about it.”
After his uplifting performance on Friday night, Raja’s thoughts immediately returned to home.
“Before the start of the match I spoke with my mum,” he said.
“She gave me a lot of confidence. She is very happy that I am part of the ILT20. To be honest, when I am not playing in the starting XI, she is always very upset.
“Sometimes she is crying a lot. She doesn’t know a lot about cricket, she just wants to see me in front of the cameras.
“After tonight, I know she will be crying. When I call her on the video call, there will be tears. It was her dream for me to play for Pakistan.
“I didn’t get the chance there, but Alhamdulillah, I have got my chance in the UAE. She was very excited I was in the Abu Dhabi T10, and now she is excited I am in the ILT20.”
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
About Krews
Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: January 2019
Number of employees: 10
Sector: Technology/Social media
Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support
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.”
Match info
Uefa Nations League Group B:
England v Spain, Saturday, 11.45pm (UAE)
The team
Photographer: Mateusz Stefanowski at Art Factory
Videographer: Jear Valasquez
Fashion director: Sarah Maisey
Make-up: Gulum Erzincan at Art Factory
Model: Randa at Art Factory Videographer’s assistant: Zanong Magat
Photographer’s assistant: Sophia Shlykova
With thanks to Jubail Mangrove Park, Jubail Island, Abu Dhabi
Australia squads
ODI: Tim Paine (capt), Aaron Finch (vice-capt), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye.
T20: Aaron Finch (capt), Alex Carey (vice-capt), Ashton Agar, Travis Head, Nic Maddinson, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Andrew Tye, Jack Wildermuth.
Poland Statement
All people fleeing from Ukraine before the armed conflict are allowed to enter Poland. Our country shelters every person whose life is in danger - regardless of their nationality.
The dominant group of refugees in Poland are citizens of Ukraine, but among the people checked by the Border Guard are also citizens of the USA, Nigeria, India, Georgia and other countries.
All persons admitted to Poland are verified by the Border Guard. In relation to those who are in doubt, e.g. do not have documents, Border Guard officers apply appropriate checking procedures.
No person who has received refuge in Poland will be sent back to a country torn by war.
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 1 (Gundogan 56')
Shakhtar Donetsk 1 (Solomon 69')
SCORES
Multiply Titans 81-2 in 12.1 overs
(Tony de Zorzi, 34)
bt Auckland Aces 80 all out in 16 overs
(Shawn von Borg 4-15, Alfred Mothoa 2-11, Tshepo Moreki 2-16).
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Coming soon
Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura
When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Syria squad
Goalkeepers: Ibrahim Alma, Mahmoud Al Youssef, Ahmad Madania.
Defenders: Ahmad Al Salih, Moayad Ajan, Jehad Al Baour, Omar Midani, Amro Jenyat, Hussein Jwayed, Nadim Sabagh, Abdul Malek Anezan.
Midfielders: Mahmoud Al Mawas, Mohammed Osman, Osama Omari, Tamer Haj Mohamad, Ahmad Ashkar, Youssef Kalfa, Zaher Midani, Khaled Al Mobayed, Fahd Youssef.
Forwards: Omar Khribin, Omar Al Somah, Mardik Mardikian.
OPTA'S PREDICTED TABLE
1. Liverpool 101 points
2. Manchester City 80
3. Leicester 67
4. Chelsea 63
5. Manchester United 61
6. Tottenham 58
7. Wolves 56
8. Arsenal 56
9. Sheffield United 55
10. Everton 50
11. Burnley 49
12. Crystal Palace 49
13. Newcastle 46
14. Southampton 44
15. West Ham 39
16. Brighton 37
17. Watford 36
18. Bournemouth 36
19. Aston Villa 32
20. Norwich City 29
