Most parents would try to book the week off work if there was a chance of their child debuting in international cricket for their country.
If 20-year-old batsman Abdullah Shafiq does get a first cap for Pakistan against Zimbabwe in their limited-overs series, starting on Friday, his father will not even be in the same country.
Shafiq Ahmed will not be going near a TV set, either. If he has to run a training session in his job as the cricket coach at Gems Modern Academy in Dubai while his son is batting in an international match 2,000kms away, then all the better.
Anything to quell the nerves.
“I cannot watch,” Shafiq Ahmed said. “I don’t know how parents can watch their children play. I can’t be happy watching him play.
“I’m nervous for his performance, and for my own health.
"Even when my brother Arshad [Ali, the former UAE all-rounder] was playing, I could not watch him play.
“I’m happy to watch the highlights after, see if he needs to improve on anything, and we can talk about it.
“Honestly, maybe I can watch some of it, if I know he’s in, but I can’t watch a regular long innings. If other batsmen are playing, I don’t have a problem.”
To say Shafiq Ahmed is given to fretting is an understatement.
His son Abdullah has enjoyed an astonishing rise in cricket since being a second-team player last season, to becoming a star at Pakistan’s National T20 Cup earlier this month, and now, a call up to the full Pakistan national team.
All of which has piled on the stress for his father, watching on from afar in the UAE. He is concerned his boy’s hasty advance in cricket will have an adverse effect on his academic studies.
The call up to the Pakistan side is great – obviously. But, still, maybe a few more years establishing himself in top-flight domestic cricket might have been more advisable. So goes Shafiq Sr’s thinking.
“I want him to stay and enjoy playing cricket for the next 10 or 15 years," he said.
“Whether that involves representing his country, that is in the hands of God, but I just want him to enjoy playing top-level cricket.
“Last year, he was in a grade two team. This year, God has given him a place [in the Pakistan squad]. Let’s see how it works out.”
Shafiq Sr lived in Dubai for 29 years, after first arriving to play as a professional cricketer.
He has enjoyed great success as a cricket coach in Dubai, bringing through an array of talent at Gems Modern Academy since he was appointed their coach in 2005.
I want him to stay and enjoy playing cricket for the next 10 or 15 years
His involvement in his son’s development, as well as that of his other son and daughter, has been limited to the time school holidays – one month in winter, and two in summer – have permitted him to get home to Sialkot.
“I still remember seeing him holding the bat for the first time,” he said.
“I checked with my wife who gave the bat to Abdullah, and asked if he was playing regularly with someone.
“She said, no, that she had just bought the bat three or four days before, and it was just totally natural the way he held the bat and played drives.
“He looked like someone who had been playing for one or two years already.”
If Abdullah looked like a natural back then, he continues to do so now, too.
He has played just one first-class match so far. In his debut innings for Central Punjab back in December, he scored a century – and outshone Pakistan internationals Salman Butt, Ahmed Shahzad, Umar Akmal and Kamran Akmal in the process.
Then came the scintillating display in the T20 competition, which included another debut hundred, after he came in to face a hat-trick ball in the first over of a run-chase.
At least uncle Arshad tuned in to watch.
“I was watching it on Facebook and I called Shafiq to tell him Abdullah was playing,” said Arshad, who was one of the UAE’s most outstanding players in the 2000s.
“He already knew he had gone from Sialkot to Multan to participate in this tournament, but he thought he wouldn’t get a match because there were big stars in his team, and he is just a young boy.
“Then the match was going on, and I saw he was batting with Kamran Akmal.
"He got to 30, 40, 50, and I said, ‘My gosh, Shafiq, look at this batting’.
“But Shafiq is the sort of person who won’t always watch the match.
"If Abdullah is playing, he cannot see the game. He would prefer to watch the highlights once he know what has happened.”
Arshad is delighted at his nephew’s call up, and is proud for his brother, who is nine years his senior.
“Shafiq knows cricket,” Arshad said.
“He said, ‘Arshad, this is T20 – sometimes you click, sometimes you don’t, and if he doesn’t, maybe they will leave him out.
“But for Abdullah to get Pakistan colours is a great achievement. It is a big thing in life. Especially in countries like Pakistan and India, where they have a huge quantity of people, all who love one team.
“It is not like England, or Australia, where they also have football or rugby. In Pakistan, everybody follows cricket.”
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
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The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
Reputation
Taylor Swift
(Big Machine Records)
The%20specs
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
RESULT
Norway 1 Spain 1
Norway: King (90 4')
Spain: Niguez (47')
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
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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Harry%20%26%20Meghan
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ELiz%20Garbus%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Duke%20and%20Duchess%20of%20Sussex%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
FA Cup semi-finals
Saturday: Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur, 8.15pm (UAE)
Sunday: Chelsea v Southampton, 6pm (UAE)
Matches on Bein Sports
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Day 2, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Pakistan’s effort in the field had hints of shambles about it. The wheels were officially off when Wahab Riaz lost his run up and aborted the delivery four times in a row. He re-measured his run, jogged in for two practice goes. Then, when he was finally ready to go, he bailed out again. It was a total cringefest.
Stat of the day – 139.5 Yasir Shah has bowled 139.5 overs in three innings so far in this Test series. Judged by his returns, the workload has not withered him. He has 14 wickets so far, and became history’s first spinner to take five-wickets in an innings in five consecutive Tests. Not bad for someone whose fitness was in question before the series.
The verdict Stranger things have happened, but it is going to take something extraordinary for Pakistan to keep their undefeated record in Test series in the UAE in tact from this position. At least Shan Masood and Sami Aslam have made a positive start to the salvage effort.
South Africa's T20 squad
Duminy (c), Behardien, Dala, De Villiers, Hendricks, Jonker, Klaasen (wkt), Miller, Morris, Paterson, Phangiso, Phehlukwayo, Shamsi, Smuts.
MATCH INFO
What: India v Afghanistan, first Test
When: Starts Thursday
Where: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengalaru
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
