The Afghan Cricket Board continue to forge ahead with plans for their own showpiece Twenty20 competition, to be staged in the UAE in October.
On Tuesday, the respective cricket boards of the UAE and Pakistan jointly announced they were working through issues brought about by a packed 2018-19 calendar.
Less than a day later the ACB released a statement of their own confirming the Emirates Cricket Board have endorsed the staging of their new franchise league, the Afghanistan Premier League , scheduled to run from October 5 to 23.
The Pakistan Cricket Board, who have been long-term tenants of the UAE, have become increasingly alarmed by the number of new high-profile enterprises flooding the cricket landscape of the Emirates.
Their concerns centred around the perceived threat to their own premier events, such as bilateral series involving the national team, as well as the Pakistan Super League.
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They had considered the option of taking the PSL, as well as series against Australia and New Zealand, elsewhere.
However, the PCB and the host board said this week they had held “fruitful discussions on matters of mutual interest”.
Chief among the results was an “in principal” agreement for staging costs to be significantly reduced for PCB, as well as an agreement not to stage other matches when Pakistan’s major events are taking place.
The ECB will roll out their own T20 competition for the first time next winter, as well as hosting the expanded second season of the T10 League. They have made a point of stating neither will clash with PCB interests.
“The ECB will host a T20 and T10 League from December 10, 2018, to January 10, 2019 when there are no PCB fixtures in the UAE,” the ECB wrote.
“The ECB will not host any league during the time when the PCB/PSL T20/ODI fixtures are being played in the UAE.”
The status of the new Afghan league was not specifically addressed in the statement. The ACB have signed a contract to use UAE stadia, and made an advance payment.
In the past, Pakistan have generally played their "home" Test programme in the UAE in the months of September, October and November.
For example, their whole home Test season last year – which amounted to a two-Test series against Sri Lanka – was over before the middle of October.
The dates of the APL either mean an overlap with Test matches involving Pakistan, or could squeeze that programme into a 46-day window between the APL final on October 23 and the start of the T10 League on December 10. Two Tests are planned against Australia and three against New Zealand.
“In a letter to the ICC, the ECB has confirmed that it has approved and supports the staging of the Afghanistan Premier League (APL) in UAE in the month of October 2018,” the ACB statement said.
"The next step involves the sanctioning of the league by ICC.
“APL is Afghanistan Cricket Board’s commercial T20 league, which was launched by ACB in January this year. The inaugural edition of the league, which will consist of five franchises, is scheduled to be held from Oct 5-23 in UAE and will include both Afghan and foreign players.”
Before the start of the surfeit of limited-overs leagues, the UAE season will start with the Asia Cup, to be played in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, in September.
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What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now
Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.
The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.
1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):
a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33
b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.
2. For those who have worked more than five years
c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.
Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.
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Developer: 11 Bit Studios
Publisher: Odd Meter
Console: PlayStation 5, PC and Xbox series X/S
Rating: 4/5
UAE players with central contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.
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Algae, waste coffee grounds and orange peels will be used in the pavilion's walls and gangways
The hulls of three ships will be used for the roof
The hulls will painted to make the largest Italian tricolour in the country’s history
Several pillars more than 20 metres high will support the structure
Roughly 15 tonnes of steel will be used
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Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
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The biog
Name: Maitha Qambar
Age: 24
Emirate: Abu Dhabi
Education: Master’s Degree
Favourite hobby: Reading
She says: “Everyone has a purpose in life and everyone learns from their experiences”
How to become a Boglehead
Bogleheads follow simple investing philosophies to build their wealth and live better lives. Just follow these steps.
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