When Covid disrupted UAE’s one-day international series against Ireland in Abu Dhabi last month, it had the indirect effect of depriving Adithya Shetty a slice of history.
Had the series followed its initial schedule, and comprised four matches rather than the revised two, the schoolboy leg-spinner would almost certainly have debuted.
Had he done so, he would have become the youngest player ever to feature in international cricket for the UAE, breaking Yodhin Punja’s record of 16 years and 206 days.
As it was, the series was truncated when four UAE players returned positive Covid results, and Shetty will now be forced to wait.
It is unclear when the UAE will play next. What does seem certain, though, as the 16-year-old whizkid will remain part of their plans for the foreseeable future. Robin Singh, the UAE coach, has hinted as much.
“We have incorporated a lot of young cricketers in the set up, but I have made it a point that they have to perform,” Singh said recently. “They can’t be coming into the side just because they are young.
“We have a 16-year old [Shetty] who has been in our national side, and he almost played against Ireland. I’m pretty sure these guys will play in the near future if they keep performing.”
Shetty’s performance in taking three wickets in a practice match against Ireland won him plenty of admirers among the senior players in the national team. The India-born teen is grateful for the way he was accepted into the fold.
“They say sport has no age, and the coach of the UAE team [Singh] keeps telling us this,” Shetty said.
“If you are with the men’s team, you will be treated like a men’s player, irrespective of how old you are or how young you are.
“I was welcomed nicely by the senior players. At first I didn’t speak to them a lot, I spent more time with the younger players, but as I spent more time with them everyone was really welcoming.
“It was nice to be with a group of guys who care about you and are happy when you do well as well.”
Since his first taste of the senior national team set up, Shetty has thrived in domestic cricket, too.
He has had a string of fine performances in the Bukhatir League, following on from some excellence in ICC Academy’s title win in the UAE Academies league.
His ascent in the game has been sharp since he was one of the first inductees into the ICC Academy’s scholarship programme back in 2017.
Qasim Ali, who has overseen Shetty’s development since he hand-picked him for the scholarship programme four years ago, predicted a “bright future” for a formerly “podgy kid”.
“He has a consistency in his bowling that is impressive for a young lad,” Qasim, the academy’s head coach, said.
“The fact he is determined to work on his skills outside of coaching hours shows he has the drive to succeed. He is quite relentless as a character.
“He is also focused on his fitness, which is good as he was a podgy kid when he first started with us.
“The programme we put together with the scholarship enabled him to get fitter and stronger. We have given the opportunity to play on good grounds and train relentlessly.
“We have opened this area up for free training to all our scholars. Without that they wouldn’t get the opportunity to practice their skills, and that is what the scholarship programme is about.”
Shetty acknowledged his attitude to fitness has improved over the recent past – which is handy, given that what he first found most appealing about bowling leg-spin was the lacking of running required to do it.
“My school coach at [Delhi Private School, where he first learnt the game] changed me into a leg-spinner,” Shetty said.
“Like everyone, I was initially a batsman and fast bowler, but my school coach said pace bowling wasn’t for me as I was quite short at that time.
“I was happy with that as it meant there wasn’t a lot of running to do. You just walk in from two steps and then bowl.
“As time went on, I started bowling leg-spin, and as time went along it became something that was becoming a career for me.
“I have worked on my fitness. Everyone knows now in cricket you need to be fit to play.”
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
The End of Loneliness
Benedict Wells
Translated from the German by Charlotte Collins
Sceptre
In%20the%20Land%20of%20Saints%20and%20Sinners
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERobert%20Lorenz%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Liam%20Neeson%2C%20Kerry%20Condon%2C%20Jack%20Gleeson%2C%20Ciaran%20Hinds%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Global institutions: BlackRock and KKR
US-based BlackRock is the world's largest asset manager, with $5.98 trillion of assets under management as of the end of last year. The New York firm run by Larry Fink provides investment management services to institutional clients and retail investors including governments, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, banks and charitable foundations around the world, through a variety of investment vehicles.
KKR & Co, or Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, is a global private equity and investment firm with around $195 billion of assets as of the end of last year. The New York-based firm, founded by Henry Kravis and George Roberts, invests in multiple alternative asset classes through direct or fund-to-fund investments with a particular focus on infrastructure, technology, healthcare, real estate and energy.
Mobile phone packages comparison
Dubai World Cup factbox
Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)
Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)
Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)
Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)
The biog
Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi
Age: 23
How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them
Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need
Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman
Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs
Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing
Anti-semitic attacks
The annual report by the Community Security Trust, which advises the Jewish community on security , warned on Thursday that anti-Semitic incidents in Britain had reached a record high.
It found there had been 2,255 anti-Semitic incidents reported in 2021, a rise of 34 per cent from the previous year.
The report detailed the convictions of a number of people for anti-Semitic crimes, including one man who was jailed for setting up a neo-Nazi group which had encouraged “the eradication of Jewish people” and another who had posted anti-Semitic homemade videos on social media.
If you go
The flights Etihad (www.etihad.com) and Spice Jet (www.spicejet.com) fly direct from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Pune respectively from Dh1,000 return including taxes. Pune airport is 90 minutes away by road.
The hotels A stay at Atmantan Wellness Resort (www.atmantan.com) costs from Rs24,000 (Dh1,235) per night, including taxes, consultations, meals and a treatment package.
Scoreline
Saudi Arabia 1-0 Japan
Saudi Arabia Al Muwallad 63’
more from Janine di Giovanni
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Teaching in coronavirus times
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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
More from Mohammed Alardhi
