Zayed Cricket Academy are the inaugural winners of the UAE Under 18 National Academies League after a resounding 58-run win over G-Force Academy at the Ocean Fair Oval at the Dubai Investment Park on Saturday.
Starting in September, the UAE U18 National Academies League comprised 12 elite academies from around the country playing in a 30-over round robin format, with the top four — Zayed Academy, G-Force, Young Talent and GM Academy — qualifying for the semi-finals.
The competition, conducted by the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), has given the youngsters a platform on which to showcase their potential for selection to the UAE national age group teams.
“It has been a successful first tournament and the first of its kind in the UAE,” said Andrew Russell, the ECB’s development officer.
“This was a new experience for both the academies as well as for the youngsters to play in the home and away format. Obviously, our objective is to build on the success we have achieved on this inaugural tournament.”
Khurram Khan, the former UAE captain and now an ECB selector, was the guest of honour and gave away the awards to the winner and runner up.
“I have been following all the games and individual stats of the players, and a competition at this level provides us the opportunity to watch the best young talents in the country,” he said.
After winning the toss and electing to bat, Zayed Academy posted 178-9 before dismissing G-Force for 120 to win the final.
Jonathan Figy (48) and Osama Hassan (43) were Zayed Academy’s batting mainstays, while Karthik Meiyappan (2-14) and Khalid Mahmood (2-13) were the pick of the bowlers.
Zayed Academy captain Abhishek Prakash, who will move to Claremont School in the United Kingdom on a cricket scholarship in September, said he can take the experience forward.
“It has been a long and arduous competition but one from which we can take a lot of positives forward,” he said.
“It kept us in training for the entire season and as a result we are more fitter and improved our cricket from the experience.”
Scores in brief:
Zayed Cricket Academy 178-99 in 30 overs (Figy 48, Hassan 43; Thapar 2-23, Lakhani 2-24) bt G-Force 120 in 26.2 overs (Thapar 32, Kapur 29, Bhatia 23, Mahmood 2-14, Meiyappan 2-15)
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The BIO:
He became the first Emirati to climb Mount Everest in 2011, from the south section in Nepal
He ascended Mount Everest the next year from the more treacherous north Tibetan side
By 2015, he had completed the Explorers Grand Slam
Last year, he conquered K2, the world’s second-highest mountain located on the Pakistan-Chinese border
He carries dried camel meat, dried dates and a wheat mixture for the final summit push
His new goal is to climb 14 peaks that are more than 8,000 metres above sea level
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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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
if you go
The flights
Etihad flies direct from Abu Dhabi to San Francisco from Dh5,760 return including taxes.
The car
Etihad Guest members get a 10 per cent worldwide discount when booking with Hertz, as well as earning miles on their rentals (more at www.hertz.com/etihad). A week's car hire costs from Dh1,500 including taxes.
The hotels
Along the route, Motel 6 (www.motel6.com) offers good value and comfort, with rooms from $55 (Dh202) per night including taxes. In Portland, the Jupiter Hotel (https://jupiterhotel.com/) has rooms from $165 (Dh606) per night including taxes. The Society Hotel https://thesocietyhotel.com/ has rooms from $130 (Dh478) per night including taxes.
More info
To keep up with constant developments in Portland, visit www.travelportland.com
Classification of skills
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.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
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.
