Robin Singh's role as UAE’s director of cricket has come to an end.
Mudassar Nazar will take temporary charge of the national team for their next assignment.
Singh, the former India all-rounder who was appointed in February 2020, has overseen a miserable run of form that has jeopardised the future of the game here.
The national team will depart for the Cricket World Cup Qualifier play-off in Namibia later this week.
Because of their poor recent results, much is riding on the competition. There are two places on offer at the six-team event for the global World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe in June.
Perhaps of greater significance is the need to safeguard one-day international status, which carries with it significant ICC funding as well as the guarantee of high-quality cricket for the next four years.
UAE need to finish in the top two out of a group of four that also includes Papua New Guinea, Canada and Jersey to maintain the right to play ODI cricket.
When the squad to tour Windhoek was announced on Tuesday morning, no quotes were attributed to the coach in the official press release, as is customary.
Singh was also missing from the side’s rain-affected practice match at The Sevens on the same day.
The ECB later said that Singh's stint has ended and Nazar, the former Pakistan all-rounder, will take over the reins for the tournament in Namibia. The board will start the hiring process for a new coach in the coming days.
The reason for Singh’s absence was initially unclear. Since his appointment, he had held an agreement with the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) to maintain his role as part of the Mumbai Indians coaching staff.
The Qualifier play-off is set to clash with the start of the Indian Premier League. However, rather than be excused to attend that event, the ECB have opted to discontinue Singh’s tenure altogether, after his contract ended.
It is understood his long association with the IPL franchise was part of the motivation for appointing him in the first instance.
ECB were in the throes of setting up the International League T20 at the time, and Mumbai entered a team into the UAE’s new competition. Singh was the head coach of the MI Emirates for the inaugural season of the ILT20, earlier this year.
ECB also saw value in the possibility of Singh helping UAE players get experience of the IPL. A number trained with IPL teams when that competition was displaced to the Emirates by Covid, with fast bowler Zahoor Khan, in particular, impressing Mumbai.
However, his extended absences at the IPL have long been a source of frustration for many in the UAE cricket community. A number of observers argued the role of director of cricket here deserves full-time commitment, rather than periods of coaching via Zoom.
Initially, after taking over a young national side that was showing great promise under the captaincy of Ahmed Raza, results remained strong.
A year ago, UAE cricket enjoyed one of its finest moments as they sealed qualification for the T20 World Cup in Australia in fine style at a tournament in Muscat.
That competition was sealed by a fifth win in a row against Ireland, which is an unprecedented run of success by an Associate side against a Test-playing nation.
Progress has been stunted in the time since, though. The team have been through three captains – Raza, CP Rizwan, and Muhammad Waseem, the latest incumbent – since August, and results have been adverse.
Although UAE picked up its first win at a T20 World Cup in the competition it Geelong, the side failed to advance beyond the first round.
Since last summer, the national team have played 27 games in the two limited-overs formats, and lost 20 of them.
The run has been characterised by performances in which the batters have appeared asphyxiated by a fear of failure.
During a period of 10 ODIs from November 16 to last week, they passed 200 just once. That run included scores of 71 – UAE’s lowest ever ODI total – 97, and 95-9.
The side’s morale was rock bottom, and they appeared increasingly unresponsive to his input. Tellingly, when UAE had Nepal 45-3 at the first drinks break in a crucial game in Kathmandu last week, they all had to decamp to the boundary rope to listen to the coach’s views. From then on, Nepal proceeded to make 248, before UAE were bowled out for 71.
Coincidentally, the man who Singh replaced in the role a little over three years ago was present in his absence at The Sevens on Tuesday.
Dougie Brown, the previous UAE coach, now runs the Rajasthan Royals Academy, which is based at the multi-sports facility on Al Ain Road.
Whether ECB will consider returning to Brown, who is resident in Dubai, as a long-term replacement for Singh, or look for someone new, remains to be seen.
School counsellors on mental well-being
Schools counsellors in Abu Dhabi have put a number of provisions in place to help support pupils returning to the classroom next week.
Many children will resume in-person lessons for the first time in 10 months and parents previously raised concerns about the long-term effects of distance learning.
Schools leaders and counsellors said extra support will be offered to anyone that needs it. Additionally, heads of years will be on hand to offer advice or coping mechanisms to ease any concerns.
“Anxiety this time round has really spiralled, more so than from the first lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic,” said Priya Mitchell, counsellor at The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi.
“Some have got used to being at home don’t want to go back, while others are desperate to get back.
“We have seen an increase in depressive symptoms, especially with older pupils, and self-harm is starting younger.
“It is worrying and has taught us how important it is that we prioritise mental well-being.”
Ms Mitchell said she was liaising more with heads of year so they can support and offer advice to pupils if the demand is there.
The school will also carry out mental well-being checks so they can pick up on any behavioural patterns and put interventions in place to help pupils.
At Raha International School, the well-being team has provided parents with assessment surveys to see how they can support students at home to transition back to school.
“They have created a Well-being Resource Bank that parents have access to on information on various domains of mental health for students and families,” a team member said.
“Our pastoral team have been working with students to help ease the transition and reduce anxiety that [pupils] may experience after some have been nearly a year off campus.
"Special secondary tutorial classes have also focused on preparing students for their return; going over new guidelines, expectations and daily schedules.”
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Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog
Name: Timothy Husband
Nationality: New Zealand
Education: Degree in zoology at The University of Sydney
Favourite book: Lemurs of Madagascar by Russell A Mittermeier
Favourite music: Billy Joel
Weekends and holidays: Talking about animals or visiting his farm in Australia
Jewel of the Expo 2020
252 projectors installed on Al Wasl dome
13.6km of steel used in the structure that makes it equal in length to 16 Burj Khalifas
550 tonnes of moulded steel were raised last year to cap the dome
724,000 cubic metres is the space it encloses
Stands taller than the leaning tower of Pisa
Steel trellis dome is one of the largest single structures on site
The size of 16 tennis courts and weighs as much as 500 elephants
Al Wasl means connection in Arabic
World’s largest 360-degree projection surface
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
The biog
Age: 19
Profession: medical student at UAE university
Favourite book: The Ocean at The End of The Lane by Neil Gaiman
Role model: Parents, followed by Fazza (Shiekh Hamdan bin Mohammed)
Favourite poet: Edger Allen Poe
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
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- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
Specs
Engine: 3.0L twin-turbo V6
Gearbox: 10-speed automatic
Power: 405hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 562Nm at 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.2L/100km
Price: From Dh292,845 (Reserve); from Dh320,145 (Presidential)
On sale: Now
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Top investing tips for UAE residents in 2021
Build an emergency fund: Make sure you have enough cash to cover six months of expenses as a buffer against unexpected problems before you begin investing, advises Steve Cronin, the founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com.
Think long-term: When you invest, you need to have a long-term mindset, so don’t worry about momentary ups and downs in the stock market.
Invest worldwide: Diversify your investments globally, ideally by way of a global stock index fund.
Is your money tied up: Avoid anything where you cannot get your money back in full within a month at any time without any penalty.
Skip past the promises: “If an investment product is offering more than 10 per cent return per year, it is either extremely risky or a scam,” Mr Cronin says.
Choose plans with low fees: Make sure that any funds you buy do not charge more than 1 per cent in fees, Mr Cronin says. “If you invest by yourself, you can easily stay below this figure.” Managed funds and commissionable investments often come with higher fees.
Be sceptical about recommendations: If someone suggests an investment to you, ask if they stand to gain, advises Mr Cronin. “If they are receiving commission, they are unlikely to recommend an investment that’s best for you.”
Get financially independent: Mr Cronin advises UAE residents to pursue financial independence. Start with a Google search and improve your knowledge via expat investing websites or Facebook groups such as SimplyFI.
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The Transfiguration
Director: Michael O’Shea
Starring: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine
Three stars
What's in the deal?
Agreement aims to boost trade by £25.5bn a year in the long run, compared with a total of £42.6bn in 2024
India will slash levies on medical devices, machinery, cosmetics, soft drinks and lamb.
India will also cut automotive tariffs to 10% under a quota from over 100% currently.
Indian employees in the UK will receive three years exemption from social security payments
India expects 99% of exports to benefit from zero duty, raising opportunities for textiles, marine products, footwear and jewellery
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Pad Man
Dir: R Balki
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte
Three-and-a-half stars
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
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