The UAE will find a familiar obstacle blocking the path between them and the next step of Asia Cup qualifying on Friday.
The national team booked a place in the semi-final of the ACC Premier Cup in Muscat when they trounced Cambodia in their final pool match on Wednesday.
The 10-team competition carries with it a place at next year’s Asia Cup for the winners, while the top three will all play at the Emerging Nations Cup.
While it is not the ultimate decider this time, it does mean only one of the UAE and Nepal will have the chance of reaching the Asia Cup.
The two sides are well-acquainted with each other, having played in a variety of decisive fixtures over recent times.
Nepal have held the edge over the UAE for the most part of late. They beat them to three major prizes in the course of a few months last year.
Rohit Paudel’s side advanced to the 2023 Asia Cup after downing the national team in Kathmandu last May.
The same occurred in T20 World Cup qualifying in Mulpani later in the year, while they also took the Asian qualifying berth at the U19 World Cup at the UAE’s expense.
Despite all that heartache, Aayan Khan – who played in each of those fixtures – says the players relish matches against Nepal.
“We have tight games against Nepal, and it is always the important games [in most series],” Aayan said.
“We have played them a lot at home and away, and wherever it is, their fans are so good. To play against them will be a hard game.
“The fans from there support the teams equally. They show support for us, too, and it does help us because it gives us a morale boost.
“It is good for us to be playing in front of them anywhere, too.”
The early days of Aayan’s own international career contain a cherished memory from playing in Kathmandu.
Having become the youngest player ever to feature in a T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022, the spinner then made his one-day international debut in a series in Nepal.
The fixture was played the day before his 17th birthday, and he was serenaded by the massed ranks of home supporters.
“It was my first tour of Nepal and there were thousands of them singing my name,” Aayan said. “That was a happy memory for me.
“There are two important games left, the semis and the final. The team which plays good on the day will move on.
“Our team is strong now. We have played four games, and it was a hard one against Oman, and it will be a tough one against Nepal, too. Inshallah we will win and play in the final as well.”
Nepal put the seal on a fourth successive win in their group when they beat Saudi Arabia on Wednesday morning, in a match that was reduced to eight overs by the weather.
Although the rain was not as substantial as across the border in the UAE, Muscat was still hit by a storm on Tuesday night.
While Oval 1 at the Oman Cricket Academy was ready for play at the 10am start time, the wind had blown away the covers on the adjacent field.
It meant the ground staff had to dry the wicket before a truncated match could take place between Nepal and Saudi. Paudel’s side chased the 74 required to win with six wickets and four balls remaining.
In the later match of the day, the UAE thrashed Cambodia, who are the lowest-ranked side in the competition.
Aayan earned the man-of-the-match award for taking three for seven as the tournament debutants were bowled out for 76.
Muhammad Waseem and Alishan Sharafu made light work of the chase, which was completed in just 5.1 overs, with nine wickets in hand.
The only issue of the day for Aayan was the state of the award he was presented with, as part of it was broken.
He asked the organisers if it could be mended, although whether there is much long-term point in that is questionable.
Aayan says he has around 150 match awards at his home, of which around 15 are damaged, usually by him and his sibling playing cricket in the house.
“I’m very happy to have won two man-of-the-match awards [in this tournament so far], and this one I would like to dedicate to my mum,” Aayan said.
yallacompare profile
Date of launch: 2014
Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer
Based: Media City, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: 120 employees
Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)
The biog
Hobbies: Writing and running
Favourite sport: beach volleyball
Favourite holiday destinations: Turkey and Puerto Rico
MATCH DETAILS
Liverpool 2
Wijnaldum (14), Oxlade-Chamberlain (52)
Genk 1
Samatta (40)
The six points:
1. Ministers should be in the field, instead of always at conferences
2. Foreign diplomacy must be left to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation
3. Emiratisation is a top priority that will have a renewed push behind it
4. The UAE's economy must continue to thrive and grow
5. Complaints from the public must be addressed, not avoided
6. Have hope for the future, what is yet to come is bigger and better than before
THE DETAILS
Deadpool 2
Dir: David Leitch
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Justin Dennison, Zazie Beetz
Four stars
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
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INFO
What: DP World Tour Championship
When: November 21-24
Where: Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae.
Salah in numbers
€39 million: Liverpool agreed a fee, including add-ons, in the region of €39m (nearly Dh176m) to sign Salah from Roma last year. The exchange rate at the time meant that cost the Reds £34.3m - a bargain given his performances since.
13: The 25-year-old player was not a complete stranger to the Premier League when he arrived at Liverpool this summer. However, during his previous stint at Chelsea, he made just 13 Premier League appearances, seven of which were off the bench, and scored only twice.
57: It was in the 57th minute of his Liverpool bow when Salah opened his account for the Reds in the 3-3 draw with Watford back in August. The Egyptian prodded the ball over the line from close range after latching onto Roberto Firmino's attempted lob.
7: Salah's best scoring streak of the season occurred between an FA Cup tie against West Brom on January 27 and a Premier League win over Newcastle on March 3. He scored for seven games running in all competitions and struck twice against Tottenham.
3: This season Salah became the first player in Premier League history to win the player of the month award three times during a term. He was voted as the division's best player in November, February and March.
40: Salah joined Roger Hunt and Ian Rush as the only players in Liverpool's history to have scored 40 times in a single season when he headed home against Bournemouth at Anfield earlier this month.
30: The goal against Bournemouth ensured the Egyptian achieved another milestone in becoming the first African player to score 30 times across one Premier League campaign.
8: As well as his fine form in England, Salah has also scored eight times in the tournament phase of this season's Champions League. Only Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, with 15 to his credit, has found the net more often in the group stages and knockout rounds of Europe's premier club competition.
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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
Prophets of Rage
(Fantasy Records)
