Jonathan Figy, the left-handed opening batsman from Abu Dhabi Indian School. Photo by Amith Passela.
Jonathan Figy, the left-handed opening batsman from Abu Dhabi Indian School. Photo by Amith Passela.

UAE star of the week: Abu Dhabi schoolboy hopes to emulate cricket hero Sachin Tendulkar



Abu Dhabi teenager Jonathan Figy was highlighted in The National as a cricket prodigy exactly three years ago, writes Amith Passela

Jonathan Figy, 14, is arguably the best batsman in his age group in the country but is also an astute batsman at higher levels, regularly representing the Zayed Cricket Academy in Division 2 tournaments and the Abu Dhabi Indian School (ADIS) U15, U16 and U19 teams.

Background

Born in Dubai but raised in Abu Dhabi, the left-handed batsman has been enrolled at the Zayed Cricket Academy since he was nine and was on the shortlist of 25 boys for the UAE U19s last season and remains as a potential pick for both the UAE U16 and U19 teams when the inter-Emirates tournament is held in March and April.

Figy, whose father is a priest at St Joseph’s Cathedral, Abu Dhabi, has played a dominant role in leading his school to the National Cricket League U15 final against Our Own English High School-Sharjah at the Dubai Sevens grounds, which takes place on Friday.

In the National School League, he has so far amassed 509 runs (111, 113 no, 98 no, 100 no and 87) in five innings and taken nine wickets with his left arm medium pacers.

Do you remember when you first held a cricket bat?

When I was around nine, I started playing tennis ball cricket with friends.

How and when did cricket first interest you?

When I was around seven or eight I use to watch matches on television with my grandmother, Sara John. She taught and explained to me about the game and I gradually picked it up from there. Since I started playing, she comes along to watches me play ... literally, every game.

When did you feel you had the talent to try to make a career as a cricketer?

I scored a century (111) three years ago in an U13 tournament ... and that’s the time I thought if I continued to work hard I can play at a good level.

What are your short- and long-term objectives?

Perhaps play for the UAE age-group teams, but long-term play for India, hopefully. There is nothing like trying and I think if I keep working hard I can achieve it.

Cricket hero?

Sachin Tendulkar. I liked the way he bats and I want to be like him.

Have you thought of going to play in India?

My parents and I have talked about it a lot but I’m still not sure if they want me to go immediately or not, but it’s seriously at the back of our minds.

Do you play any other sports?

I love sports and play badminton, football and do a lot of running. I represented the top CBSE UAE school (ADIS) at the CBSE national chess clusters tournament in India both last year and earlier this month.

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The specs

Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
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Match info:

Portugal 1
Ronaldo (4')

Morocco 0

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  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
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Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Power: 510hp at 9,000rpm
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
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Price: From Dh801,800
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Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

Who are the Sacklers?

The Sackler family is a transatlantic dynasty that owns Purdue Pharma, which manufactures and markets OxyContin, one of the drugs at the centre of America's opioids crisis. The family is well known for their generous philanthropy towards the world's top cultural institutions, including Guggenheim Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, Tate in Britain, Yale University and the Serpentine Gallery, to name a few. Two branches of the family control Purdue Pharma.

Isaac Sackler and Sophie Greenberg were Jewish immigrants who arrived in New York before the First World War. They had three sons. The first, Arthur, died before OxyContin was invented. The second, Mortimer, who died aged 93 in 2010, was a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma. The third, Raymond, died aged 97 in 2017 and was also a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma. 

It was Arthur, a psychiatrist and pharmaceutical marketeer, who started the family business dynasty. He and his brothers bought a small company called Purdue Frederick; among their first products were laxatives and prescription earwax remover.

Arthur's branch of the family has not been involved in Purdue for many years and his daughter, Elizabeth, has spoken out against it, saying the company's role in America's drugs crisis is "morally abhorrent".

The lawsuits that were brought by the attorneys general of New York and Massachussetts named eight Sacklers. This includes Kathe, Mortimer, Richard, Jonathan and Ilene Sackler Lefcourt, who are all the children of either Mortimer or Raymond. Then there's Theresa Sackler, who is Mortimer senior's widow; Beverly, Raymond's widow; and David Sackler, Raymond's grandson.

Members of the Sackler family are rarely seen in public.

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Veere di Wedding
Dir: Shashanka Ghosh
Starring: Kareena Kapoo-Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania ​​​​​​​
Verdict: 4 Stars

TRAINING FOR TOKYO

A typical week's training for Sebastian, who is competing at the ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon on March 8-9:

  • Four swim sessions (14km)
  • Three bike sessions (200km)
  • Four run sessions (45km)
  • Two strength and conditioning session (two hours)
  • One session therapy session at DISC Dubai
  • Two-three hours of stretching and self-maintenance of the body

ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon

For more information go to www.abudhabi.triathlon.org.

Williams at Wimbledon

Venus Williams - 5 titles (2000, 2001, 2005, 2007 and 2008)

Serena Williams - 7 titles (2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015 and 2016)

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Engine: 3.0-litre flat-six twin-turbocharged

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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

Rashid & Rajab

Director: Mohammed Saeed Harib

Stars: Shadi Alfons,  Marwan Abdullah, Doaa Mostafa Ragab 

Two stars out of five 

TO A LAND UNKNOWN

Director: Mahdi Fleifel

Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa

Rating: 4.5/5

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Wallabies

Updated team: 15-Israel Folau, 14-Dane Haylett-Petty, 13-Reece Hodge, 12-Matt Toomua, 11-Marika Koroibete, 10-Kurtley Beale, 9-Will Genia, 8-Pete Samu, 7-Michael Hooper (captain), 6-Lukhan Tui, 5-Adam Coleman, 4-Rory Arnold, 3-Allan Alaalatoa, 2-Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1-Scott Sio.

Replacements: 16-Folau Faingaa, 17-Tom Robertson, 18-Taniela Tupou, 19-Izack Rodda, 20-Ned Hanigan, 21-Joe Powell, 22-Bernard Foley, 23-Jack Maddocks.

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