The T20 World Cup is a little over one month away with excitement building over what should be an important milestone in the game.
This time, a total of 20 teams will compete in the showpiece event, with sides split into four groups of five. The top two teams in each group will advance to the Super 8 round, and from there to the semi-finals and final.
For the first time, World Cup matches will be held in the US. A total of 16 matches will take place at venues in Lauderhill [Florida], Dallas and New York. The venue in New York – the purpose-built Nassau County International Cricket Stadium – will host the biggest clash of the tournament between India and Pakistan on June 9.
Construction at the 34,000-seat modular venue at Eisenhower Park, Nassau County, is going on with a little over one month to go before its opening match of the T20 World Cup – the June 3 clash between Sri Lanka and South Africa.
The venue will re-use grandstands that were used for the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix and have been repurposed for the T20 World Cup. Also, the pitch that will be used at the ground is a drop-in square – like the ones used in Adelaide – and is being curated in Florida before being transported by road to New York in early May.
The outfield is scheduled to be completed by early next week with the venue construction to end on May 6. After that, a test event will be held at the end of May, following necessary inspection and clearance, before being approved to host World Cup matches.
The venue in New York has been built at a cost of around $30 million, according to Forbes.
Tickets for matches at the venue start at $175 with premium tickets for the India v Pakistan match being offered at exorbitant rates on resale sites.
England will look to defend their T20 World Cup title, which they won after a dramatic final against Pakistan in Melbourne in 2022.
However, England will have to do so without the star of the final Ben Stokes, who has ruled himself out of the T20 competition to focus on becoming a long-format all-rounder again.
Babar Azam has returned as captain of the Pakistan team after a period of turmoil in which Shaheen Afridi was removed as the 20-over skipper.
India, too, will enter the tournament with question marks over the form and future of a number of their ageing stars. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are edging towards the end of their T20 careers, while the form of Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan and Mohammad Siraj is a cause for concern.
The Aussies, meanwhile, will be extremely happy about the form of many of their players. Pat Cummins, Travis Head and Marcus Stoinis have been in sizzling form in the IPL, even though veteran quick Mitchell Starc has hit a rough patch. Uncapped Jake Fraser-McGurk has dazzled with his hitting ability and should be in the mix, especially since the likes of David Warner and Mitchell Marsh are out of form and injured, respectively.
The T20 World Cup runs from June 1 to 29, with the final in Barbados.
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23-man shortlist for next six Hall of Fame inductees
Tony Adams, David Beckham, Dennis Bergkamp, Sol Campbell, Eric Cantona, Andrew Cole, Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba, Les Ferdinand, Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler, Steven Gerrard, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Matt Le Tissier, Michael Owen, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes, John Terry, Robin van Persie, Nemanja Vidic, Patrick Viera, Ian Wright.
Armies of Sand
By Kenneth Pollack (Oxford University Press)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
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Barbie
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company profile
Company name: Nestrom
Started: 2017
Co-founders: Yousef Wadi, Kanaan Manasrah and Shadi Shalabi
Based: Jordan
Sector: Technology
Initial investment: Close to $100,000
Investors: Propeller, 500 Startups, Wamda Capital, Agrimatico, Techstars and some angel investors
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THE TWIN BIO
Their favourite city: Dubai
Their favourite food: Khaleeji
Their favourite past-time : walking on the beach
Their favorite quote: ‘we rise by lifting others’ by Robert Ingersoll
Greatest Royal Rumble results
John Cena pinned Triple H in a singles match
Cedric Alexander retained the WWE Cruiserweight title against Kalisto
Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt win the Raw Tag Team titles against Cesaro and Sheamus
Jeff Hardy retained the United States title against Jinder Mahal
Bludgeon Brothers retain the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos
Seth Rollins retains the Intercontinental title against The Miz, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe
AJ Styles remains WWE World Heavyweight champion after he and Shinsuke Nakamura are both counted out
The Undertaker beats Rusev in a casket match
Brock Lesnar retains the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
Braun Strowman won the 50-man Royal Rumble by eliminating Big Cass last
Profile box
Founders: Michele Ferrario, Nino Ulsamer and Freddy Lim
Started: established in 2016 and launched in July 2017
Based: Singapore, with offices in the UAE, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand
Sector: FinTech, wealth management
Initial investment: $500,000 in seed round 1 in 2016; $2.2m in seed round 2 in 2017; $5m in series A round in 2018; $12m in series B round in 2019; $16m in series C round in 2020 and $25m in series D round in 2021
Current staff: more than 160 employees
Stage: series D
Investors: EightRoads Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Sequoia Capital India
THE LOWDOWN
Photograph
Rating: 4/5
Produced by: Poetic License Motion Pictures; RSVP Movies
Director: Ritesh Batra
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra, Farrukh Jaffar, Deepak Chauhan, Vijay Raaz
MATCH INFO
Qalandars 109-3 (10ovs)
Salt 30, Malan 24, Trego 23, Jayasuriya 2-14
Bangla Tigers (9.4ovs)
Fletcher 52, Rossouw 31
Bangla Tigers win by six wickets
if you go
The flights
Emirates flies to Delhi with fares starting from around Dh760 return, while Etihad fares cost about Dh783 return. From Delhi, there are connecting flights to Lucknow.
Where to stay
It is advisable to stay in Lucknow and make a day trip to Kannauj. A stay at the Lebua Lucknow hotel, a traditional Lucknowi mansion, is recommended. Prices start from Dh300 per night (excluding taxes).
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