Ali Naseer defied a finger injury to lead the UAE to an opening win in their pursuit of T20 World Cup qualification – and still managed to look glum after hitting the winning runs.
The young all-rounder was left not out on 48 after edging the four that sealed a five-wicket win over Bahrain in the first group match of the T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier in Kathmandu.
He had been lining up a fourth six of his innings, which would have taken him to his first T20 international half-century.
He would have well deserved the milestone. Naseer had hurt the little finger on his left hand in taking a catch in the fourth over of the game.
Although he was clearly in pain, he was not noticeably incapacitated. Two of his three sixes went beyond the perimeter fences at the ground in Mulpani.
“It was really painful and I had to strap it up,” Naseer, 19, said.
“I was only gripping the bat with four fingers and leaving my pinky off it. It was tough.”
He shared in a fine stand with another of the bright prospects of UAE cricket, Alishan Sharafu, to settle UAE nerves. They put on 47 in 29 balls for the fifth wicket.
The two finalists in the eight-team Qualifier will play at the main event in the United States and the Caribbean next June.
Bahrain represented a potential banana skin for the national team. They beat them in the equivalent competition in Oman last year.
They looked handily placed to repeat that shock when they had the UAE 60 for four in the 11th over, chasing 136 to win.
All of the UAE’s main batting stars were back in the pavilion by that stage, and two inexperienced players at the crease.
Sharafu, 20, and Naseer showed why they are so highly regarded, though, as they put together a crucial partnership with a canniness that belied their youth.
“Me and Alishan just talked about trying to take it as deep as possible,” said Naseer, who acknowledged he was disappointed to miss out on a half-century at the end.
“My role so far in both the ODI team and the T20 team is to play the last few overs and try to score some quick runs.
“I was happy to be able to bat a bit longer today and score 48. Basil [Hameed] had hit a four the over before and I was like, ‘Come on, Basil – just get a single and let me get to my first T20 50’, but it is all good.”
When UAE lost to Bahrain in Muscat last year it was a shock but the national team were at least able to limit the damage.
The fact they got within two runs of the Bahrain total meant they advanced to the semi-finals, and ultimately the World Cup in Australia.
That was all down to the excellence of Vriitya Aravind. The young batter was unable to repeat his heroics this time around, though, as he fell cheaply to the bowling of Rizwan Butt.
Aravind looked stunned to be given out caught behind. The bowler himself scarcely appealed, but the umpire upheld the appeal after howls from the cover fielders.
At that stage, Bahrain looked confident they could bring about another upset, but they did not account for Naseer and Sharafu.
The UAE will face Kuwait in their second group match on Tuesday, then Hong Kong on Thursday.
In the other group, Nepal started their qualifying campaign with a confident eight-wicket win over Singapore.
Kushal Bhurtel top scored with 74 as the host team overhauled Singapore’s total of 145 for nine with 21 balls to spare.
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
More on animal trafficking
UAE SQUAD
Mohammed Naveed (captain), Mohamed Usman (vice captain), Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Imran Haider, Tahir Mughal, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed, Fahad Nawaz, Abdul Shakoor, Sultan Ahmed, CP Rizwan
Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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No Shame
Lily Allen
(Parlophone)
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Seattle from Dh5,555 return, including taxes. Portland is a 260 km drive from Seattle and Emirates offers codeshare flights to Portland with its partner Alaska Airlines.
The car
Hertz (www.hertz.ae) offers compact car rental from about $300 per week, including taxes. Emirates Skywards members can earn points on their car hire through Hertz.
Parks and accommodation
For information on Crater Lake National Park, visit www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm . Because of the altitude, large parts of the park are closed in winter due to snow. While the park’s summer season is May 22-October 31, typically, the full loop of the Rim Drive is only possible from late July until the end of October. Entry costs $25 per car for a day. For accommodation, see www.travelcraterlake.com. For information on Umpqua Hot Springs, see www.fs.usda.gov and https://soakoregon.com/umpqua-hot-springs/. For Bend, see https://www.visitbend.com/.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
