UAE captain Ahmed Raza. Pawan Singh / The National
UAE captain Ahmed Raza. Pawan Singh / The National
UAE captain Ahmed Raza. Pawan Singh / The National
UAE captain Ahmed Raza. Pawan Singh / The National

'Every win I get, will be for him' - UAE captain Ahmed Raza motivated to honour his late father in one-day series against Ireland


Paul Radley
  • English
  • Arabic

Ahmed Raza says he is focused on leading UAE to success against Ireland despite the recent death of his father, saying: “Whatever I may achieve, it will be for him.”

The national team return to action for the first time in nearly 11 months on Friday, when they play the first of four one-day internationals against Ireland in Abu Dhabi.

It will be an emotional return for Raza, the UAE captain. His father, Syed Zahid Kazmi, died two weeks ago after a two-year battle with cancer.

Raza and his UAE-based brother and sister, as well as his other brother in Qatar, travelled to Pakistan for the funeral on December 21. Their father had died while each of them was awaiting the processing of their Covid PCR tests.

Rather than being distracted by grieving, Raza says he will be motivated to honour his father’s memory with success on the field.

“I am taking it as an inspiration,” Raza said. “Whatever I am going to do now is going to be for him.

“For however long I play for UAE, everything I do, every win I get, will be for him.

“It gives me more motivation to do better. Whatever I may achieve in this series, or the coming series, it will all be for him.”

The UAE captain said his career in cricket stemmed from a love of the game instilled by his father, who had first moved to Sharjah in 1972 with his job as an electrical engineer.

“He used to take me to Sharjah Stadium all the time, even for domestic games like the Bukhatir League and Ramadan tournaments,” Raza said.

“When I told him there was a coaching clinic going on, and I wanted to enrol, he said yes, and paid those fees for a long time. He was very supportive of everything.

“When I played age-grade cricket, he used to drop me to the airport and, like any parent, he was tell me to do this, and not to do that.

“He told me I had to take care of my money, take care of my bag, and put some sort of cloth on my suitcase to remember that it was my bag.

“He was really happy. He used to keep my newspaper cuttings.

"Whenever there was a televised game, he would call every single relative of mine in Pakistan and tell them this was the time Ahmed would be playing, and that they had to tune in.”

The left-arm spinner said the first time his father told him he was proud of him was when he played his first televised game, in 2006, and, although compliments were sparing, he is confident he made him happy.

“I am what I am because of him,” Raza said. “It is a fact of life that most of the time our fathers don’t get the due credit they deserve. My father had his own business, but he had another job, too: to raise all of us.

“We are four siblings, and he raised all of us in Dubai. With fathers, we take it for granted that it is their duty, but sometimes we don’t see the struggles they go through.

“I see my brother and sister running after their kids, then imagine what it was like for my parents looking after us. It was two people, raising four kids, in another country.”

UAE skipper Ahmed Raza in the game between Dubai and Fujairah in the Emirates D20 in Dubai last month. Chris Whiteoak / The National
UAE skipper Ahmed Raza in the game between Dubai and Fujairah in the Emirates D20 in Dubai last month. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Robin Singh, the UAE coach, is confident his captain will be able to focus on leading the side.

“We sympathise a lot with Ahmed, but he is a very strong character and a good leader,” Singh said.

“He understands the responsibility. Of course, it is hard, the loss of a member of your family. We will support him in every way we can.

“He has made every effort to come back, because he wants to play in the series. I can only appreciate that. He is a really good leader, and I think he will do a really good job.”

UAE will be giving away six places in the world rankings to their visitors in the ODI series, and wins over sides from Test playing nations have been rare for the hosts in the past.

Ireland also beat world champions England in their last appearance. That was, though, five months ago.

The UAE’s players have been busier than most cricketers in recent months, with a steady programme of domestic cricket, and Raza is hopeful that will help them against the Irish.

“It doesn’t guarantee anything, but it might give us a slight edge,” Raza said.

“Rolling over Ireland, with them being a Test-playing nation, would be a great achievement. We know how big an opportunity this is.

“Looking at the world situation as it is right now, being the first Associate to play any international cricket, it is a great opportunity. We recognise that, and we want to make the most of it.”

The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

UAE v Ireland

1st ODI, UAE win by 6 wickets

2nd ODI, January 12

3rd ODI, January 14

4th ODI, January 16

Timeline

2012-2015

The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East

May 2017

The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts

September 2021

Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act

October 2021

Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence 

December 2024

Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group

May 2025

The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan

July 2025

The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan

August 2025

Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision

October 2025

Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange

November 2025

180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE

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1. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari 202 points

2. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-GP 188

3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes-GP 169

4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing 117

5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 116

6. Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing 67

7. Sergio Perez, Force India 56

8. Esteban Ocon, Force India 45

9. Carlos Sainz Jr, Toro Rosso 35

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A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation. 

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The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000. 

MATCH DETAILS

Juventus 2 (Bonucci 36, Ronaldo 90 6)

Genoa 1 (Kouame 40)

UAE squad

Ali Kashief, Salem Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdelrahman, Mohammed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Mohmmed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammad Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Eisa, Mohammed Shakir, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Adel Al Hosani, Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah), Waleed Abbas, Ismail Al Hammadi, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli Dubai) Habib Fardan, Tariq Ahmed, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Mahrami (Baniyas)

SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20Z%20FLIP%204
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDisplay%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMain%20%E2%80%93%206.7%22%20FHD%20Dynamic%20Amoled%202X%2C%202640%20x%201080%2C%2022%3A9%2C%20425ppi%2C%20HDR10%2B%2C%20up%20to%20120Hz%3B%20cover%20%E2%80%93%201.9%22%20Super%20Amoled%2C%20512%20x%20260%2C%20302ppi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EProcessor%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Qualcomm%20Snapdragon%208%2B%20Gen%201%2C%204nm%2C%20octa-core%3B%20Adreno%20730%20GPU%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMemory%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECapacity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20128%2F256%2F512GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPlatform%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Android%2012%2C%20One%20UI%204.1.1%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMain%20camera%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dual%2012MP%20ultra-wide%20(f%2F2.2)%20%2B%2012MP%20wide%20(f%2F1.8)%2C%20OIS%2C%20portrait%2C%20super%20slo-mo%2C%20hyperlapse%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EVideo%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204K%4030%2F60fps%2C%20full-HD%4030%2F60fps%2C%20HD%4030fps%3B%20slo-mo%40240%2F960fps%3B%20HDR10%2B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFront%20camera%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2010MP%20(f%2F2.4)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203700mAh%2C%2025W%20fast%20charging%2C%2015W%20wireless%20charging%2C%20reverse%20wireless%20charging%2C%20'all-day'%20life%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConnectivity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205G%3B%20Wi-Fi%2C%20Bluetooth%205.2%2C%20NFC%20(Samsung%20Pay)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EI%2FO%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20USB-C%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECards%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nano-SIM%20%2B%20eSIM%3B%20no%20microSD%20slot%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EColours%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Bora%20purple%2C%20graphite%2C%20pink%20gold%2C%20blue%3B%20Bespoke%20Edition%20in%20select%20countries%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIn%20the%20box%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Flip%204%2C%20USB-C-to-USB-C%20cable%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dh3%2C799%20%2F%20Dh3%2C999%20%2F%20Dh4%2C449%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home

Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless

Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers

Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s

Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival

Teenage%20Mutant%20Ninja%20Turtles%3A%20Shredder's%20Revenge
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETribute%20Games%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dotemu%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsoles%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENintendo%20Switch%2C%20PlayStation%204%26amp%3B5%2C%20PC%20and%20Xbox%20One%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO

Norwich City 1 (Cantwell 75') Manchester United 2 (Aghalo 51' 118') After extra time.

Man of the match Harry Maguire (Manchester United)

Name: Peter Dicce

Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics

Favourite sport: soccer

Favourite team: Bayern Munich

Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer

Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates 

 

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMascotte%20Health%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMiami%2C%20US%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Bora%20Hamamcioglu%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EOnline%20veterinary%20service%20provider%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%241.2%20million%20raised%20in%20seed%20funding%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 1/5