A Sharjah-based cricket coach says he is fulfilling a lifetime ambition after being selected to join the ranks of the international game for the first time.
Kashif Daud is one of four uncapped players in the UAE squad to face Ireland in the one-day international series in Abu Dhabi, which starts on Friday.
The call up represents a belated shot at the international game for a player who turns 35 next month, and who once foresaw an entirely different route to the top.
Born in Sialkot, he harboured the childhood dream of playing for Pakistan, and had a 10-year first-class career alongside luminaries such as Shoaib Malik, Abdul Razzaq and Imran Nazir before moving to UAE.
In his last match in the Qaid-e-Azam Trophy, he took seven for 30 – only to be cut from the side immediately after.
“I was playing with all the big names of Pakistan cricket at that time, then I don’t know what happened,” Daud said.
“At that time, in my department the competition was very high. Maybe they wanted to bring new kids into the team, but I don’t know why they dropped me.
“I gave my best, took seven wickets in my last match. I don’t know what happened there.
“After I came back to Pakistan from playing as an overseas player in Scotland, I was still not selected, so I thought I had to move somewhere else.”
Daud was invited to the UAE by his friend Mohammed Qasim, the former national team batsman, and he travelled on a tourist visa for a month in 2016.
He loved it, and made it his home after he secured a job as a coach at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
“When I went to the UK for the first time [as an overseas pro in club cricket] I had done my Level 2 coaching course,” Daud said.
“To go to the UK to play, you had to have done coaching courses, too. I was very young, and wanted to play for my country, Pakistan, but I thought ‘No problem’.
“When I came to UAE in 2016, I was looking for a job, any job. I went to Sharjah Cricket Stadium. They wanted to add new players to their team.
“I bowled in the nets at a trial. I told them I had done my Level 2 coaching course, and they said: ‘OK, we are looking for a coach as well.’
“They offered a handsome package, a residence visa, and I was very grateful, because I was looking for a job.”
Daud has repaid Sharjah’s faith on the playing field, as well as the training one. As recently as last month, he won them the title at the Emirates D20 at Dubai International Stadium.
An allrounder whose stronger suit is generally regarded to be his bowling, he hit a half century in the semi-final to beat an ECB Blues team that was largely the UAE team by another name.
Then he was man of the match in the final as Sharjah beat the previously undefeated Fujairah to snatch the title, thanks to his 51 not out.
His excellence in a tournament that was streamed live online was well timed. First, he landed a deal to play for Delhi Bulls in the Abu Dhabi T10.
And now he has been called up to the national team for the first time, too, for the series against Ireland.
“It means a lot to me to play international cricket,” Daud said of his selection.
“I wished I could have played for Pakistan, but now I’m resident over here for the past four years. I feel I’m a local over here. This is my second home.
“I think 2021 has already been lucky for me. I have been picked for two big things. First, to represent the UAE in international cricket, and secondly, as part of the Abu Dhabi T10.
“After finishing this series, I am very excited to be part of Delhi Bulls as well.”
The first one-day international between UAE and Ireland starts at 9.30am on Friday at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The four matches will be streamed live online.
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Company profile
Company: Eighty6
Date started: October 2021
Founders: Abdul Kader Saadi and Anwar Nusseibeh
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Hospitality
Size: 25 employees
Funding stage: Pre-series A
Investment: $1 million
Investors: Seed funding, angel investors
Tour de France 2017: Stage 5
Vittel - La Planche de Belles Filles, 160.5km
It is a shorter stage, but one that will lead to a brutal uphill finish. This is the third visit in six editions since it was introduced to the race in 2012. Reigning champion Chris Froome won that race.
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Fifa%20World%20Cup%20Qatar%202022%20
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hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK
Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Defence
General Intelligence Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Agency
Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
Army Supply Bureau
General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
Cham Press TV
Sama TV
SPECS
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Race card
5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m
6.05pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,400m
6.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (T) 1,200m
7.50pm: Longines Stakes – Conditions (TB) Dh120,00 (D) 1,900m
8.25pm: Zabeel Trophy – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (T) 1,600m
9pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (T) 2,410m
9.35pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 2,000m
Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier
ICC Academy, November 22-28
UAE fixtures
Nov 22, v Malaysia
Nov 23, v Hong Kong
Nov 25, v Bhutan
Nov 26, v Kuwait
Nov 28, v Nepal
ICC T20I rankings
14. Nepal
17. UAE
25. Hong Kong
34. Kuwait
35. Malaysia
44. Bhutan
UAE squad
Chaya Mughal (captain), Natasha Cherriath, Samaira Dharnidharka, Kavisha Egodage, Mahika Gaur, Priyanjali Jain, Suraksha Kotte, Vaishnave Mahesh, Judit Peter, Esha Rohit, Theertha Satish, Chamani Seneviratne, Khushi Sharma, Subha Venkataraman
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
