• India's players attend a practice session ahead of their cricket match against Pakistan during the Asia Cup at the ICC Academy Ground in Dubai on August 25. AFP
    India's players attend a practice session ahead of their cricket match against Pakistan during the Asia Cup at the ICC Academy Ground in Dubai on August 25. AFP
  • Virat Kohli of India warms up during the training session at the ICC Academy. Getty Images
    Virat Kohli of India warms up during the training session at the ICC Academy. Getty Images
  • The Indian team practise at the academy ground. AFP
    The Indian team practise at the academy ground. AFP
  • The players during the practice session. AFP
    The players during the practice session. AFP
  • They train together in Dubai. AFP
    They train together in Dubai. AFP
  • India's KL Rahul bats in the nets. AFP
    India's KL Rahul bats in the nets. AFP
  • Pakistan cricketers attend a practice session at the ICC Academy Ground in Dubai. AFP
    Pakistan cricketers attend a practice session at the ICC Academy Ground in Dubai. AFP
  • They are practising ahead of their cricket match against India during the Asia Cup. AFP
    They are practising ahead of their cricket match against India during the Asia Cup. AFP
  • The Pakistani practice session. AFP
    The Pakistani practice session. AFP
  • Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan at the ICC Academy Ground in Dubai. AFP
    Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan at the ICC Academy Ground in Dubai. AFP
  • Pakistan captain Babar Azam. AFP
    Pakistan captain Babar Azam. AFP
  • Azam practises before the match. AFP
    Azam practises before the match. AFP
  • Pakistan coach Saqlain Mushtaq gives a press conference. AFP
    Pakistan coach Saqlain Mushtaq gives a press conference. AFP
  • Sri Lanka's players attend a practice session ahead of their cricket match against Afghanistan during the Asia Cup. AFP
    Sri Lanka's players attend a practice session ahead of their cricket match against Afghanistan during the Asia Cup. AFP
  • They practise at the ICC Academy Ground in Dubai. AFP
    They practise at the ICC Academy Ground in Dubai. AFP
  • Rohit Sharma of India plays a shot. All subsequent photos: Pawan Singh / The National
    Rohit Sharma of India plays a shot. All subsequent photos: Pawan Singh / The National
  • Virat Kohli and teammates train at the ICC Academy.
    Virat Kohli and teammates train at the ICC Academy.
  • The Pakistan cricket team train in the nets at the ICC Academy in Dubai.
    The Pakistan cricket team train in the nets at the ICC Academy in Dubai.
  • Shaheen Afridi takes a break from bowling during a nets session in Dubai.
    Shaheen Afridi takes a break from bowling during a nets session in Dubai.
  • Shadab Khan of Pakistan.
    Shadab Khan of Pakistan.
  • Virat Kohli in action.
    Virat Kohli in action.
  • Rohit Sharma and other members of the India team leaving the ICC Academy.
    Rohit Sharma and other members of the India team leaving the ICC Academy.
  • Fans wait for the India cricket team outside the ICC Academy in Dubai.
    Fans wait for the India cricket team outside the ICC Academy in Dubai.
  • India players take a break during training.
    India players take a break during training.
  • Rohit Sharma of India.
    Rohit Sharma of India.
  • Afghanistan players take part in a nets session at the ICC Academy in Dubai.
    Afghanistan players take part in a nets session at the ICC Academy in Dubai.
  • Mohammad Nabi of Afghanistan plays a shot.
    Mohammad Nabi of Afghanistan plays a shot.
  • Virat Kohli of India.
    Virat Kohli of India.
  • Mohammad Nabi of Afghanistan.
    Mohammad Nabi of Afghanistan.
  • Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma of India.
    Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma of India.
  • Afghanistan players during training at the ICC Academy in Dubai.
    Afghanistan players during training at the ICC Academy in Dubai.

Dubai ready to host Asia Cup 2022 cricket games including India versus Pakistan


Patrick Ryan
  • English
  • Arabic

Dubai Sports Council (DSC) confirmed on Thursday that the city was ready to “safely and securely” play host to matches throughout the 16-day tournament.

The emirate will host 10 of the 13 matches at this year’s Asia Cup cricket tournament, including the eagerly awaited clash between India and Pakistan on Sunday, August 28.

The emirate will also hold the opening fixture between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan this Saturday, August 27, at Dubai International Stadium.

The tournament was initially scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka but political turmoil there meant it had to be moved to a new host nation.

The final will also be held in Dubai on September 11.

Fans outside Dubai International Cricket Stadium last year before the start of the ICC men’s Twenty20 World Cup cricket match between India and Pakistan in Dubai. AFP
Fans outside Dubai International Cricket Stadium last year before the start of the ICC men’s Twenty20 World Cup cricket match between India and Pakistan in Dubai. AFP

“We are delighted to host the 2022 Asia Cup, the second largest cricket event in the world,” said Khalid Al Zarooni, chairman of the board of Dubai Sports City.

“It is watched by millions of fans across Asia and beyond. Dubai International Stadium will host the tournament for the second consecutive time. The last edition was also held in Dubai in 2018.

“This reflects Dubai’s status as the best city to host such mega-events.”

The gates will open three hours before the matches start. The ground has a 25,000 seating capacity, which can expand to 30,000.

The stadium in Sports City is accessible by public transport with parking also available for those travelling by private car.

Tickets to the game between India and Pakistan, described as the “final before the final” sold out within hours of going on sale.

“Dubai is now a destination of choice for individual athletes and squads. It is an ideal location to host major sports events thanks to its accessibility and amenities required to welcome participants and the audience,” said Saeed Hareb, secretary general of the DSC.

“The UAE in general and Dubai, in particular, has gained the world’s confidence in its ability to host any event successfully.

“Dubai has set global benchmarks and is now a role model in hosting and organising major global sports events, such as cricket’s Twenty20 World Cup and the Indian Premier League at Dubai International Stadium.”

He said that the DSC is committed to hosting and organising popular sporting events to meet the desires of the various segments of the emirate’s multicultural society.

More than four million Indians and Pakistanis alone call the UAE their home.

(FILES) In this file photo taken on October 24, 2021, India's captain Virat Kohli (L) and his Pakistan's counterpart Babar Azam arrive on the field for the toss during the ICC men’s Twenty20 World Cup cricket match between India and Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai, October 24, 2021. Aamir Qureshi / AFP
(FILES) In this file photo taken on October 24, 2021, India's captain Virat Kohli (L) and his Pakistan's counterpart Babar Azam arrive on the field for the toss during the ICC men’s Twenty20 World Cup cricket match between India and Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai, October 24, 2021. Aamir Qureshi / AFP
WHAT%20IS%20THE%20LICENSING%20PROCESS%20FOR%20VARA%3F
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Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi

Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi

Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain

Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni

Rating: 2.5/5

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

MATCH INFO

Chelsea 1 (Hudson-Odoi 90 1')

Manchester City 3 (Gundogan 18', Foden 21', De Bruyne 34')

Man of the match: Ilkay Gundogan (Man City)

Griselda
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%C2%A0Andr%C3%A9s%20Baiz%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3ESof%C3%ADa%20Vergara%2C%20Alberto%20Guerra%2C%20Juliana%20Aiden%20Martinez%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Voice of Hind Rajab

Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees

Director: Kaouther Ben Hania

Rating: 4/5

War 2

Director: Ayan Mukerji

Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana

Rating: 2/5

The biog

Age: 32

Qualifications: Diploma in engineering from TSI Technical Institute, bachelor’s degree in accounting from Dubai’s Al Ghurair University, master’s degree in human resources from Abu Dhabi University, currently third years PHD in strategy of human resources.

Favourite mountain range: The Himalayas

Favourite experience: Two months trekking in Alaska

Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

The specs

Engine: 2-litre 4-cylinder and 3.6-litre 6-cylinder

Power: 220 and 280 horsepower

Torque: 350 and 360Nm

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Price: from Dh136,521 VAT and Dh166,464 VAT 

On sale: now

The Vile

Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah

Director: Majid Al Ansari

Rating: 4/5

The biog

Age: 30

Position: Senior lab superintendent at Emirates Global Aluminium

Education: Bachelor of science in chemical engineering, post graduate degree in light metal reduction technology

Favourite part of job: The challenge, because it is challenging

Favourite quote: “Be the change you wish to see in the world,” Gandi

Polarised public

31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views

19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views

19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all

Source: YouGov

Trump v Khan

2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US

2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks

2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit

2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”

2022:  Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency

July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”

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While you're here
Who's who in Yemen conflict

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

Six large-scale objects on show
  • Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
  • The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
  • A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
  • Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
  • A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
  • Torrijos Palace dome
The President's Cake

Director: Hasan Hadi

Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem 

Rating: 4/5

Updated: August 29, 2022, 7:33 AM