Saqib Ali, right, reckons Ireland are beatable in home conditions. Satish Kumar / The National
Saqib Ali, right, reckons Ireland are beatable in home conditions. Satish Kumar / The National
Saqib Ali, right, reckons Ireland are beatable in home conditions. Satish Kumar / The National
Saqib Ali, right, reckons Ireland are beatable in home conditions. Satish Kumar / The National

Saqib Ali backs UAE to shine at ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier


Amith Passela
  • English
  • Arabic

ABU DHABI // The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday announced that the final stages of the 2013 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier will be held at Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Cricket Stadium.

The revised schedule now sees the final four days of the tournament, scheduled to take place from November 15-30, moved to the capital.

The UAE will be among the 16 Associate and Affiliate Nations vying for the six spots available in next year’s World Twenty20 tournament in Bangladesh.

The top three teams in each group at the conclusion of the group stages will automatically qualify.

The final finishing positions of the teams in this event will determine as to which group they will be drawn in for the first round of the World T20 tournament, alongside Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.

The UAE play Nepal and Denmark in two warm-up matches on November 12 and 13 in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, respectively, before facing Uganda in their Group A opener at the Nursery Oval in Abu Dhabi on November 15.

Saqib Ali, the UAE batsman, believes the T20 format to be very competitive, giving every team an equal chance to win.

“In the T20 format there are no clear favourites, the game can change within a couple of overs,” he said.

“Any batsman or a bowler can click on his day to win a game for his team. So fingers crossed. Still we are quite confident to be among the six teams to earn qualification to Bangladesh.”

Ireland, who have already qualified for the 50-over-a-side World Cup in Australia in 2015, are in the UAE’s group.

Saqib, however, said they are beatable on home conditions.

“You can say Ireland are the favourites on paper in our group because they are a professional side,” he said.

“We have played against all teams except for the USA and Italy in our group. It would be very interesting to play these two teams.”

The UAE have been in good nick recently, having won the last two series over Canada and Namibia in the World Cricket League Championship.

In-between, they reached the last-four stage in the Asian Cricket Council Emerging Teams Cup in Singapore last month.

“The team has indeed been in excellent form, yet we need to go out and play good cricket to earn good results,” Saqib said.

“We have been training hard to win a ticket to Bangladesh. To play in a World Cup is the dream of every player and I know all my teammates are dreaming of it.”

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Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

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ACL Elite (West) - fixtures

Monday, Sept 30

Al Sadd v Esteghlal (8pm)
Persepolis v Pakhtakor (8pm)
Al Wasl v Al Ahli (8pm)
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Tuesday, Oct 1
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Friday Valladolid v Osasuna (Kick-off midnight UAE)

Saturday Valencia v Athletic Bilbao (5pm), Getafe v Sevilla (7.15pm), Huesca v Alaves (9.30pm), Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid (midnight)

Sunday Real Sociedad v Eibar (5pm), Real Betis v Villarreal (7.15pm), Elche v Granada (9.30pm), Barcelona v Levante (midnight)

Monday Celta Vigo v Cadiz (midnight)

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ICC men's cricketer of the year

2004 - Rahul Dravid (IND) ; 2005 - Jacques Kallis (SA) and Andrew Flintoff (ENG); 2006 - Ricky Ponting (AUS); 2007 - Ricky Ponting; 2008 - Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI); 2009 - Mitchell Johnson (AUS); 2010 - Sachin Tendulkar (IND); 2011 - Jonathan Trott (ENG); 2012 - Kumar Sangakkara (SL); 2013 - Michael Clarke (AUS); 2014 - Mitchell Johnson; 2015 - Steve Smith (AUS); 2016 - Ravichandran Ashwin (IND); 2017 - Virat Kohli (IND); 2018 - Virat Kohli; 2019 - Ben Stokes (ENG); 2021 - Shaheen Afridi

 

 

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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

About Karol Nawrocki

• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.

• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.

• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.

• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.

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BEACH SOCCER WORLD CUP

Group A

Paraguay
Japan
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USA

Group B

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Mexico
Italy
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Belarus
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Brazil
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THE DETAILS

Solo: A Star Wars Story

Director: Ron Howard

2/5

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

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F1 2020 calendar

March 15 - Australia, Melbourne; March 22 - Bahrain, Sakhir; April 5 - Vietnam, Hanoi; April 19 - China, Shanghai; May 3 - Netherlands, Zandvoort; May 20 - Spain, Barcelona; May 24 - Monaco, Monaco; June 7 - Azerbaijan, Baku; June 14 - Canada, Montreal; June 28 - France, Le Castellet; July 5 - Austria, Spielberg; July 19 - Great Britain, Silverstone; August 2 - Hungary, Budapest; August 30 - Belgium, Spa; September 6 - Italy, Monza; September 20 - Singapore, Singapore; September 27 - Russia, Sochi; October 11 - Japan, Suzuka; October 25 - United States, Austin; November 1 - Mexico City, Mexico City; November 15 - Brazil, Sao Paulo; November 29 - Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi.

Scoreline

Syria 1-1 Australia

Syria Al Somah 85'

Australia Kruse 40'

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