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.”
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Mamo Year it started: 2019 Founders: Imad Gharazeddine, Asim Janjua Based: Dubai, UAE Number of employees: 28 Sector: Financial services Investment: $9.5m Funding stage: Pre-Series A Investors: Global Ventures, GFC, 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital, and prominent Silicon Valley investors. The specs: 2019 Audi A7 Sportback
Price, base: Dh315,000
Engine: 3.0-litre V6
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 335hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 1,370rpm
Fuel economy 5.9L / 100km
Results
Ashraf Ghani 50.64 per cent
Abdullah Abdullah 39.52 per cent
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar 3.85 per cent
Rahmatullah Nabil 1.8 per cent
Brief scores:
Arsenal 4
Xhaka 25', Lacazette 55', Ramsey 79', Aubameyang 83'
Fulham 1
Kamara 69'
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Selected fixtures
All times UAE
Wednesday
Poland v Portugal 10.45pm
Russia v Sweden 10.45pm
Friday
Belgium v Switzerland 10.45pm
Croatia v England 10.45pm
Saturday
Netherlands v Germany 10.45pm
Rep of Ireland v Denmark 10.45pm
Sunday
Poland v Italy 10.45pm
Monday
Spain v England 10.45pm
Tuesday
France v Germany 10.45pm
Rep of Ireland v Wales 10.45pm
Essentials
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Malaysia Airlines all fly direct from the UAE to Kuala Lumpur and on to Penang from about Dh2,300 return, including taxes.
Where to stay
In Kuala Lumpur, Element is a recently opened, futuristic hotel high up in a Norman Foster-designed skyscraper. Rooms cost from Dh400 per night, including taxes. Hotel Stripes, also in KL, is a great value design hotel, with an infinity rooftop pool. Rooms cost from Dh310, including taxes.
In Penang, Ren i Tang is a boutique b&b in what was once an ancient Chinese Medicine Hall in the centre of Little India. Rooms cost from Dh220, including taxes.
23 Love Lane in Penang is a luxury boutique heritage hotel in a converted mansion, with private tropical gardens. Rooms cost from Dh400, including taxes.
In Langkawi, Temple Tree is a unique architectural villa hotel consisting of antique houses from all across Malaysia. Rooms cost from Dh350, including taxes.
Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:
1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
6. Secret Ambition
Omar Yabroudi's factfile
Born: October 20, 1989, Sharjah
Education: Bachelor of Science and Football, Liverpool John Moores University
2010: Accrington Stanley FC, internship
2010-2012: Crystal Palace, performance analyst with U-18 academy
2012-2015: Barnet FC, first-team performance analyst/head of recruitment
2015-2017: Nottingham Forest, head of recruitment
2018-present: Crystal Palace, player recruitment manager
'Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore'
Rating: 3/5
Directed by: David Yates
Starring: Mads Mikkelson, Eddie Redmayne, Ezra Miller, Jude Law
Zimbabwe v UAE, ODI series
All matches at the Harare Sports Club:
1st ODI, Wednesday, April 10
2nd ODI, Friday, April 12
3rd ODI, Sunday, April 14
4th ODI, Tuesday, April 16
UAE squad: Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
'Gehraiyaan'
Director:Shakun Batra
Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa
Rating: 4/5
Cracks in the Wall
Ben White, Pluto Press
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
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Brief scoreline:
Tottenham 1
Son 78'
Manchester City 0
Brief scores:
Everton 2
Walcott 21', Sigurdsson 51'
Tottenham 6
Son 27', 61', Alli 35', Kane 42', 74', Eriksen 48'
Man of the Match: Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur)
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group C
Liverpool v Napoli, midnight
Results
1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1hr 32mins 03.897sec
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull-Honda) at 0.745s
3. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) 37.383s
4. Lando Norris (McLaren) 46.466s
5.Sergio Perez (Red Bull-Honda) 52.047s
6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 59.090s
7. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) 1:06.004
8. Carlos Sainz Jr (Ferrari) 1:07.100
9. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri-Honda) 1:25.692
10. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin-Mercedes) 1:26.713,
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
Ferrari
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Bio
Born in Dibba, Sharjah in 1972.
He is the eldest among 11 brothers and sisters.
He was educated in Sharjah schools and is a graduate of UAE University in Al Ain.
He has written poetry for 30 years and has had work published in local newspapers.
He likes all kinds of adventure movies that relate to his work.
His dream is a safe and preserved environment for all humankind.
His favourite book is The Quran, and 'Maze of Innovation and Creativity', written by his brother.
All you need to know about Formula E in Saudi Arabia
What The Saudia Ad Diriyah E-Prix
When Saturday
Where Diriyah in Saudi Arabia
What time Qualifying takes place from 11.50am UAE time through until the Super Pole session, which is due to end at 12.55pm. The race, which will last for 45 minutes, starts at 4.05pm.
Who is competing There are 22 drivers, from 11 teams, on the grid, with each vehicle run solely on electronic power.
The biog
Hobbies: Salsa dancing “It's in my blood” and listening to music in different languages
Favourite place to travel to: “Thailand, as it's gorgeous, food is delicious, their massages are to die for!”
Favourite food: “I'm a vegetarian, so I can't get enough of salad.”
Favourite film: “I love watching documentaries, and am fascinated by nature, animals, human anatomy. I love watching to learn!”
Best spot in the UAE: “I fell in love with Fujairah and anywhere outside the big cities, where I can get some peace and get a break from the busy lifestyle”
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
