The National's Paul Radley is in Australia and New Zealand during the cricket World Cup to follow the UAE's fortunes. Here is his look back at his second week with the team
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Day 8 in Brisbane: Ireland beat UAE by two wickets
Next to the hotel is Roma Street Magistrates Court. Outside its entrance, TV news camera crews are set up ready to shoot the arrival of a set of rugby players who have been summonsed on charges of dealing cocaine.
The scandal is said to effect three football codes – rugby union, league and Australian rules – and has accounted for some star names. League in particular is a way of life in Queensland, so the drama is gripping the state.
Cricket might have its failings, but, it seems, there is always someone worse off.
In the evening, Ireland and the UAE play out a nail-biter at The Gabba. The two sides know each other well and there is little love lost between them.
Kevin O’Brien, the brawny Dubliner, and Shaiman Anwar have a vivid dispute during the closing overs of the UAE innings.
The spirit of cricket may be a dubious concept, but it is pleasing to see O’Brien, away from the view of the cameras, go out of his way to congratulate Shaiman after he is out for the UAE’s first World Cup hundred.
Day 9 in Brisbane-Perth
According to the morning newspapers, Brisbane is planning a bid for the 2028 Olympics. That represents quite a departure from the prevailing attitude to big events, apparently.
The Queensland government has taken a hammering for not lobbying for more significant matches in this World Cup.
Last night’s game between UAE and Ireland may have been thrilling, but there were only around 6,000 there to see it, rattling around a ground fit for eight times that many.
Viewed from the morning flight to Perth, it does not take long for the greenery of subtropical Brisbane to give way to the red earth of central Australia.
The journey from west to east is 3,600 kilometres. To provide a little context, London to Moscow is shorter by approximately 700 kms. It is quite a trek.
Day 10 in Perth
Andrew Flintoff, who is well regarded in these parts for his exploits in the 2005 Ashes, is on Australia’s version of the reality TV show I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!
At one point, the presenters debate whether dubbing subtitles over the former England captain’s heavy Lancastrian accent could be deemed racist.
His brogue is difficult to decipher, but most people in Perth should be OK. It feels like every second accent in the capital of Western Australia is an English one.
Perth is the most isolated city in the world. It is easier to get to Singapore than it is the other side of Australia. And it is full of expatriates.
Go to watch Western Force, the city’s Super Rugby franchise, play Wellington’s Hurricanes at Nib Stadium in the evening.
The ground, walking distance from the city’s Central Business District, is pleasantly packed and the atmosphere is cracking.
Pity, then, that the Force cop a hiding from a side who could easily pass for the All Blacks.
Day 11 in Perth: India beat UAE by nine wickets
Compared to the India-South Africa pool match, which attracted 87,000 to the Melbourne Cricket Ground, there is just a small battalion of the Bharat Army in Perth.
Around 9,000 watch the UAE's part-timers play the mighty Indians. Most were probably left debating the wisdom of spending their Saturday here when the UAE bat first and are summarily outclassed by the world champions.
Anyone who did stick round after the early finish, though, will have been able to take in a game of football for free.
The Indians played for an hour after the cricket finished. MS Dhoni, the captain, loves it, and neglected to attend his mandatory post-match news conference until it was finished.
He and Virat Kohli, his heir apparent, are the outstanding players. Dhoni plays like a tricky Cristiano Ronaldo floating on the left wing. Either because of his status or his skills, no one gets close enough to tackle him.
Kohli is a roving midfielder with a deft touch. Unsurprisingly, he is tenacious in the tackle, too.
Those two notwithstanding, The National’s staff team would fancy their chances in a five-a-side match against India’s cricketers.
Day 12 in Perth
One drawback of touring life is not having IT support at hand exactly when you need them.
The screen has broken on the laptop, rendering it unusable. The time difference, plus the prohibitive costs of calling the UAE, means it is less profitable phoning reports through to the newsroom than finding the nearest net cafe. Remember those?
The hotel does not even have a business centre, assuming everyone will have a device that could access its communal Wi-Fi.
Of course.
The best option is a nearby grocery shop. Having to file copy while sat next to the frozen chicken nuggets is a novel experience.
This city – like most in Australia, it seems – loves its sport, particularly when it comes to supporting its own. The city centre is well populated with people wearing the red vest of the Perth Wildcats, the basketball team, this afternoon.
They are many of the same people who will have been wearing the blue of Western Force two nights ago.
Day 13 in Perth-Auckland
In Langley Park, which is a mere Chris Gayle king-hit away from the Waca, a bigger crowd has gathered for a sporting event than went to see the UAE play India two days ago.
Today is a public holiday, the third day of a long weekend, and also the final day of the state tee-ball championships for six to 12-year-olds. Basically, it is baseball, but using a static ball hit off a tee rather than pitched.
As many as 1,200 children are taking part, with hundreds of parents and other relatives in tow. It is serious business. At one point, a Mexican wave even starts.
Langley Park is a sizeable strip of land which separates the north bank of the Swan River from Perth’s CBD. It must be prime real estate, but the local council have left it as green space for the sole purpose of recreation.
In the evening starts the mission of a trip to Napier. The western-most city to the eastern-most in this World Cup is the longest trip in the competition. This one starts at 8.30pm and, assuming the connecting flights run to schedule, will arrive at 10.30am.
Day 14 in Auckland-Napier
After the chastening experience the UAE players endured against India in Perth, it will be interesting to see if they can rouse their spirits for today's meeting with Pakistan.
At least the national team will take some solace from being back in familiar surroundings. They started their World Cup odyssey in Napier over a month ago, with a couple of practice games against the local state team, Central Districts.
That was actually the last time the national team won a game, and they are better suited to the conditions on the eastern coast of New Zealand’s North Island. The side from the Middle East feel more at home here in Middle Earth than they did in the far west of Australia.
The India game was a revealing experience. It just went to show that the rising ball is usually more difficult to deal with than pronounced sideways movement.
The fact McLean Park is a rugby ground in the winter months could have a bearing. Maybe Peter Kelly, the national team’s strength and conditioning coach, could offer a few pointers, seeing as he is an outstanding rugby player for Jebel Ali Dragons.
He has his rugby ball with him in New Zealand and has been getting the players to try some touch rugby in warm-ups. Results have been indifferent, so far.
pradley@thenational.ae
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