It is not uncommon for sportsmen to be moved to tears when they achieve a lifetime ambition.
The emotion that poured out of Haider Ali after the UAE secured qualification for the 2026 T20 World Cup spoke of something more, though.
The UAE spin bowler was adopted by an uncle as a baby and became estranged from his birth parents. He reconciled with his father later in life, and they became close.
His father told him it had always been his dream for his son to become an international cricketer.
By that stage, Haider was making plans to leave behind his homeland of Pakistan in order to secure a better financial future for his family. He relocated to the UAE in January 2022.
He started the process of qualifying for the UAE national team via the ICC’s three-year residency rules, and had big plans for when he did. It was his goal to win matches for his adopted country, and help them play in all the major tournaments.
Since debuting earlier this year, he has done exactly that. The UAE beat Bangladesh in his debut series, which was their first bilateral series win against a Test-playing nation.
He has become a central figure in the side in the time since, culminating in a player-of-the-match performance in the game against Japan, which clinched their place at the T20 World Cup, to be played in India and Sri Lanka in February.
He has delivered on his father’s dream for him, but he was not around to see it. He died in July 2023.
“Everyone has a different life,” Haider said. “What I have faced in the past two or three years in the UAE and back in Pakistan, is very difficult.
“I didn’t see my father in the last couple of years [of his life] because of cricket, [then] he died. It had been my father’s dream to play international cricket.
“He did a lot of things for me as a father. My father was very special. I want to give credit to my late father and my family as well.
“When I came to UAE in 2022, he was crying at the airport. He told me, ‘This is my dream, you playing international cricket.’
“I faced a lot of things in three years, and since I became eligible [to play for the UAE]. I don’t want to mention someone or some things, but I do want to mention those people who supported me in those three and a half years.”
Those he wished to thank were many. There was Mubashshir Usmani, the general secretary of the Emirates Cricket Board, for the support provided to the national team.
Then there was the team's support staff of Lalchand Rajput, Manipreet Sidhu, Manish Pradeshi, Azharuddin Qureshi and Amjad Ezzi.
And also, Ahmed Raza, who was coincidentally the UAE captain the last time they qualified for a T20 World Cup, on the very same field at the Oman Cricket Academy in Muscat.
“This is a big stage; this is a World Cup,” Haider said. “Every professional cricketer has the dream to play in the World Cup.
“As a UAE international player, for us, this is a big thing. We have done a lot of hard work in the last six months, and for this a lot of credit goes to the UAE cricket board.
“They gave us all the facilities, everything we could want as a player. They deserve this.
“Especially for me as a youngster, this is a big stage, and, Inshallah, we will do something good in the World Cup as well.”
February’s event will be the fifth time the UAE have played at one of the two versions of a World Cup in cricket. They featured at the 1996 and 2015 one-day international World Cups, and in 2014 and 2022 in the abridged format.
In that time, they have won only two matches – against the Netherlands in 1996, and Namibia in Geelong three years ago.
Haider is confident they can add to that tally this time, in a 20-team tournament which will likely be divided into four groups of five.
“Cricket is all about belief,” Haider said. “I believe in myself and think that on any day I can do anything on the field. It is all about self-belief.
“Before I became eligible, I said we were going to qualify for the World Cup. We beat Bangladesh and, mark my words, we will do a big upset in the World Cup as well.
“We have a good enough team, we have good spinners, and we have [opening batters] Alishan Sharafu and Muhammad Waseem. We know how well they do in this format.
“Mark my words: we will do something special in the World Cup in India [and Sri Lanka].”
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
Second Test
In Dubai
Pakistan 418-5 (declared)
New Zealand 90 and 131-2 (follow on)
Day 3: New Zealand trail by 197 runs with 8 wickets remaining
The biog
Nickname: Mama Nadia to children, staff and parents
Education: Bachelors degree in English Literature with Social work from UAE University
As a child: Kept sweets on the window sill for workers, set aside money to pay for education of needy families
Holidays: Spends most of her days off at Senses often with her family who describe the centre as part of their life too
Company name: Play:Date
Launched: March 2017 on UAE Mother’s Day
Founder: Shamim Kassibawi
Based: Dubai with operations in the UAE and US
Sector: Tech
Size: 20 employees
Stage of funding: Seed
Investors: Three founders (two silent co-founders) and one venture capital fund
The biog
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
The%20specs
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UAE%20PREMIERSHIP
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MATCH INFO
Leeds United 0
Brighton 1 (Maupay 17')
Man of the match: Ben White (Brighton)
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Results
Stage 4
1. Dylan Groenewegen (NED) Jumbo-Visma 04:16:13
2. Gaviria (COL) UAE Team Emirates
3. Pascal Ackermann (GER) Bora-Hansgrohe
4. Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep
5. Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal
General Classification:
1. Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott 16:46:15
2. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:07
3. Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana Pro Team 0:01:35
4. David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 0:01:40
5. Rafal Majka (POL) Bora-Hansgrohe
PROFILE OF CURE.FIT
Started: July 2016
Founders: Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori
Based: Bangalore, India
Sector: Health & wellness
Size: 500 employees
Investment: $250 million
Investors: Accel, Oaktree Capital (US); Chiratae Ventures, Epiq Capital, Innoven Capital, Kalaari Capital, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Piramal Group’s Anand Piramal, Pratithi Investment Trust, Ratan Tata (India); and Unilever Ventures (Unilever’s global venture capital arm)
Euro 2020
Group A: Italy, Switzerland, Wales, Turkey
Group B: Belgium, Russia, Denmark, Finland
Group C: Netherlands, Ukraine, Austria,
Georgia/Kosovo/Belarus/North Macedonia
Group D: England, Croatia, Czech Republic,
Scotland/Israel/Norway/Serbia
Group E: Spain, Poland, Sweden,
N.Ireland/Bosnia/Slovakia/Ireland
Group F: Germany, France, Portugal,
Iceland/Romania/Bulgaria/Hungary
List of alleged parties
May 12, 2020: PM and his wife Carrie attend 'work meeting' with at least 17 staff
May 20, 2020: They attend 'bring your own booze party'
Nov 27, 2020: PM gives speech at leaving party for his staff
Dec 10, 2020: Staff party held by then-education secretary Gavin Williamson
Dec 13, 2020: PM and his wife throw a party
Dec 14, 2020: London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey holds staff event at Conservative Party headquarters
Dec 15, 2020: PM takes part in a staff quiz
Dec 18, 2020: Downing Street Christmas party
