Cricket Australia officials had their first glimpse of the Dubai Sports City (DSC) yesterday, the venue for two of their country's five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 match against Pakistan next month. The visit came a day after the officials inspected the Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi where the other three one-day games will be played.
Malcolm Thorpe, the DSC spokesman, said the four-member team were impressed with the facilities at the new stadium, which is getting its finishing touches. The two-hour visit came in the wake of security concerns after the attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore, Pakistan. However, Thorpe said the Australian officials were expected to arrive anyway as they were yet to see the new infrastructure. "They had not seen the ground and it was standard procedure to do a recce and inspect the facilities ahead of the tour," he said. "They were happy with the playing square and inspected all the entrances and umpire and player areas. They also talked to a representative from the Dubai police."
Pakistan's representatives, Zakir Khan, the board director of operations, and Aquib Javed, the team's bowling coach, have already seen the stadium as Pakistan played West Indies in the UAE in November last year. Mohammed Naeem, the Pakistan Cricket Board treasurer, was also part of the touring party and it is believed that he is here to work out the marketing and administrative aspects of the series.
Pakistan is the host country even though the series will be played in Dubai and Abu Dhabi from April 22 to May 8, and Thorpe said: "We will be happy to provide any help in marketing the event any way we can." kshyam@thenational.ae
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Rating: 1/5
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Rating: 2/5
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Under 19 World Cup
Group A: India, Japan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka
Group B: Australia, England, Nigeria, West Indies
Group C: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Scotland, Zimbabwe
Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, South Africa, UAE
UAE fixtures
Saturday, January 18, v Canada
Wednesday, January 22, v Afghanistan
Saturday, January 25, v South Africa
Overview
What: The Arab Women’s Sports Tournament is a biennial multisport event exclusively for Arab women athletes.
When: From Sunday, February 2, to Wednesday, February 12.
Where: At 13 different centres across Sharjah.
Disciplines: Athletics, archery, basketball, fencing, Karate, table tennis, shooting (rifle and pistol), show jumping and volleyball.
Participating countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Qatar and UAE.
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WHEN TO GO:
September to November or March to May; this is when visitors are most likely to see what they’ve come for.
WHERE TO STAY:
Meghauli Serai, A Taj Safari - Chitwan National Park resort (tajhotels.com) is a one-hour drive from Bharatpur Airport with stays costing from Dh1,396 per night, including taxes and breakfast. Return airport transfers cost from Dh661.
HOW TO GET THERE:
Etihad Airways regularly flies from Abu Dhabi to Kathmandu from around Dh1,500 per person return, including taxes. Buddha Air (buddhaair.com) and Yeti Airlines (yetiairlines.com) fly from Kathmandu to Bharatpur several times a day from about Dh660 return and the flight takes just 20 minutes. Driving is possible but the roads are hilly which means it will take you five or six hours to travel 148 kilometres.
Overview
Cricket World Cup League Two: Nepal, Oman, United States tri-series, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu
Fixtures
Wednesday February 5, Oman v Nepal
Thursday, February 6, Oman v United States
Saturday, February 8, United States v Nepal
Sunday, February 9, Oman v Nepal
Tuesday, February 11, Oman v United States
Wednesday, February 12, United States v Nepal
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Votes
Total votes: 1.8 million
Ashraf Ghani: 923,592 votes
Abdullah Abdullah: 720,841 votes
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So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
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Investors: Co-founders and Venture Partners (9 per cent)
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