Jonathan Figy believes a “good performance” in the Emirates D50 will take him closer to a UAE national team return.
The left-handed opener has been among runs in the tournaments organised by the Abu Dhabi Cricket Council since his return from the UK after completing his degree in mathematics and statistics at Leeds University.
Figy, 21, is hopeful in replicating his performances in those tournaments going into the Emirates Cricket Board’s six-team Emirates D50 opener against Dubai at Ajman Malek Oval on Wednesday.
Figy remains the only UAE player to score a century, against Canada, in the U19 World Cup. He played two ODI’s against Scotland in the ICC World Cricket League 2 in Dubai in December 2019 and Namibia in the same competition in Oman in January 2020.
His cricket during his time at the Leeds University was interrupted following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and then the final year of his degree. He’s now taken a break from pursuing further studies to have another go at cricket.
“The cricket season in my first year at the university got cancelled and only half the season took place in the following year, and I concentrated on my studies in the final year of my degree,” Figy told The National.
“I had a three-year course in mathematics and statistics, and I thought might as well complete my degree and get back to cricket. I have decided to take a break without doing further studies for now, to give cricket another go. Let’s see how it goes.”
Figy has been back in Abu Dhabi for more than six months and is progressing well. “The Emirates D50 is an opportunity to get back to the national team. That’s my aspiration and I’m working hard for it,” he said.
“The first thing that I realised when I returned to Abu Dhabi after three years in Britain was, I really was out of shape. I started doing my workouts in the gym four to five days a week, and trained in the evenings at the Zayed Cricket Academy nets, where it all began for me.
“I worked on my skills and spent more time on my fitness. All that combined and I was able to score and bat long in the domestic tournaments. I did some coaching in return for the facilities the academy provided me. I enjoy coaching kids and that’s something I may do at some point of time.”
Figy played a massive role for his team Etihad Shaheen to reach all three finals, winning two. He was Player of the Tournament in the ADCC Super Cup, and made scores of 127 not out, 55, and 61 not out, for his team to emerge winners of the Ramadan Rumble two weeks ago.
“I just want to go out there and do my best in the D50,” he said. “People are going to expect a lot from me, and to be honest, I expect a lot from myself. I know what my job is. I need to go out there and score lot of runs if I want to be in the national team.
“More than that is I want to score for my team to reach the top three spots to earn them a spot in the knockout round.
“I have been practising my bowling so I can be useful with the ball, too. I used to bowl quite regularly when I was at school but later concentrated on my batting. That can add more into my game and add more value to the teams I play for.
“My fitness work is showing when I play as I’m able to score and bat long, and run fast between the wickets. When you are looking at top-flight cricket you need to keep working harder all the time to maintain the high levels and the demands of the game.”
Figy has been named vice-captain to the experienced Ali Abid for Abu Dhabi. He will also lead the team in the last two league round games against Sharjah and Fujairah as Abid leaves for Pakistan for his marriage.
Figy wants to take it one step at a time on his cricketing journey, and playing for the UAE and professionally has always been one of his objectives.
“Captaining and analysing the matches I play is something that I enjoy,” he said.
“I’m thankful for Abu Dhabi Cricket Council for providing me with this opportunity. It’s good exposure for me, to potentially lead Abu Dhabi for a long time and hopefully lead them to success.”
“I’m just going to enjoy leading the team and I’m sure to receive the support of my seniors in the squad.
“We have a great bunch of cricketers and I’m sure everyone will support and share their experiences with me to take the team forward. We have a lot of experienced cricketers and can rely on them.”
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- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
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David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
'Ghostbusters: From Beyond'
Director: Jason Reitman
Starring: Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace
Rating: 2/5
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
Andor
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Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
Company%20Profile
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
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7pm: Flood Zone
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
