SHARJAH // Twenty-four years after making his first-class debut in his native Pakistan, Mohammed Shafiq will get a belated crack at international cricket after being selected for the UAE.
The wicketkeeper, 44, has been handed the gloves for this week’s Intercontinental Cup match against Namibia at Sharjah that starts today.
He is also expected to play a role in the crucial World Cup qualifying matches against the same opposition on Friday and Sunday.
Shafiq ended his professional cricket career in Pakistan five years ago and moved to Abu Dhabi, where he works as a site foreman for Ghantoot group.
If life had worked out a little differently, his international bow might have happened in the green of Pakistan, rather than the grey of the UAE.
The Punjab-born gloveman enjoyed a productive first-class career in his homeland, having made his debut in 1989.
However, he found his route to national honours for Pakistan consistently blocked by fellow wicketkeepers Moin Khan and Rashid Latif.
“It is my dream to play international cricket, for any national team,” the Abu Dhabi Gymkhana wicketkeeper said.
“I’m a wicketkeeper-batsman, and my time in Pakistan coincided with Moin Khan and Rashid. They had long careers and there was no chance for me.” Aaqib Javed, whose paths crossed regularly with Shafiq in domestic game, thinks his new charge was unlucky not to have represented Pakistan.
The UAE coach has called on his former counterpart as he regards him as a cricketer who has “guts”.
“He is a hard cricketer, with 150 games in Pakistan for experience,” Aaqib said. “He is a tough cricketer with plenty of experience and pride in his performance.
“He is still fit enough and he wants to be there and prove a point.
“He is a gritty cricketer.”
Shafiq captained Younis Khan, among other Pakistan Test players, in club cricket in his homeland before he moved to the UAE capital.
Despite the debutant’s age, Aaqib expects Shafiq to lead by example in a vital week of cricket for the national team.
Once the four-day Intercontinental Cup match is concluded, the side will switch their attention to two 50-over matches, which could go a long way to defining the future of UAE cricket.
If they secure two wins, the UAE would likely leapfrog the Netherlands into second place in the World Cricket League Championship.
If Afghanistan then lose either of their matches against Kenya in the same competition next month, the national team could take the second World Cup qualifying berth behind Ireland.
“He will never give up and he is very confident,” Aaqib said of Shafiq.
“I have never seen him wearing a helmet, even against the world’s fastest, most dangerous bowlers, like Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar.
“He has got guts. I’ve always wanted him to come close to the team, as he can add lots of value to the team.”
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What Intercontinental Cup
When Today-Wednesday
Where Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Who UAE v Namibia
Timings 10am start, admission is free
UAE squad
Khurram Khan (captain, above), Saqib Ali, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Azam, Nasir Aziz, Mehrooz Khan, Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Naveed, Swapnil Patil, Ahmed Raza, Saqib Shah, Mohammed Shafiq, Kamran Shahzad, Shadeep Silva
Namibia squad
Raymond van Schoor (captain), Stephan Baard, Christopher Coombe, Michau du Preez, Zane Green, Jean Pierre Kotze, Xander Pitchers, Bernard Scholtz, Nicolaas Scholtz, JJ Smit, Christiaan Snyman, Louis van der Westhuizen, Christy Viljoen, Helao Ya France
pradley@thenational.ae
Stats at a glance:
Cost: 1.05 billion pounds (Dh 4.8 billion)
Number in service: 6
Complement 191 (space for up to 285)
Top speed: over 32 knots
Range: Over 7,000 nautical miles
Length 152.4 m
Displacement: 8,700 tonnes
Beam: 21.2 m
Draught: 7.4 m
Jawan
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAtlee%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Shah%20Rukh%20Khan%2C%20Nayanthara%2C%20Vijay%20Sethupathi%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
ARSENAL IN 1977
Feb 05 Arsenal 0-0 Sunderland
Feb 12 Manchester City 1-0 Arsenal
Feb 15 Middlesbrough 3-0 Arsenal
Feb 19 Arsenal 2-3 West Ham
Feb 26 Middlesbrough 4-1 Arsenal (FA Cup)
Mar 01 Everton 2-1 Arsenal
Mar 05 Arsenal 1-4 ipswich
March 08 Arsenal 1-2 West Brom
Mar 12 QPR 2-1 Arsenal
Mar 23 Stoke 1-1 Arsenal
Apr 02 Arsenal 3-0 Leicester
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
Women%E2%80%99s%20T20%20World%20Cup%20Qualifier
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RESULTS - ELITE MEN
1. Henri Schoeman (RSA) 57:03
2. Mario Mola (ESP) 57:09
3. Vincent Luis (FRA) 57:25
4. Leo Bergere (FRA)57:34
5. Jacob Birtwhistle (AUS) 57:40
6. Joao Silva (POR) 57:45
7. Jonathan Brownlee (GBR) 57:56
8. Adrien Briffod (SUI) 57:57
9. Gustav Iden (NOR) 57:58
10. Richard Murray (RSA) 57:59
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Company%20Profile
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Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
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Roll%20of%20Honour%2C%20men%E2%80%99s%20domestic%20rugby%20season
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
CONFIRMED%20LINE-UP
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Uefa Nations League: How it works
The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.
The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.
Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.
U19 World Cup in South Africa
Group A: India, Japan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka
Group B: Australia, England, Nigeria, West Indies
Group C: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Scotland, Zimbabwe
Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, South Africa, UAE
UAE fixtures
Saturday, January 18, v Canada
Wednesday, January 22, v Afghanistan
Saturday, January 25, v South Africa
UAE squad
Aryan Lakra (captain), Vriitya Aravind, Deshan Chethyia, Mohammed Farazuddin, Jonathan Figy, Osama Hassan, Karthik Meiyappan, Rishabh Mukherjee, Ali Naseer, Wasi Shah, Alishan Sharafu, Sanchit Sharma, Kai Smith, Akasha Tahir, Ansh Tandon
TOUCH RULES
Touch is derived from rugby league. Teams consist of up to 14 players with a maximum of six on the field at any time.
Teams can make as many substitutions as they want during the 40 minute matches.
Similar to rugby league, the attacking team has six attempts - or touches - before possession changes over.
A touch is any contact between the player with the ball and a defender, and must be with minimum force.
After a touch the player performs a “roll-ball” - similar to the play-the-ball in league - stepping over or rolling the ball between the feet.
At the roll-ball, the defenders have to retreat a minimum of five metres.
A touchdown is scored when an attacking player places the ball on or over the score-line.