It would be impossible to question Rahim Sediqi’s loyalty to Afghanistan. His commitment to supporting their national cricket team is both vivid and costly.
He has paid to travel to most competitions they have played in for the past decade, including to the UAE for the T20 World Cup.
While he has been here for this tournament, he has paid Dh500 per match for a Pakistani artist to paint various motifs all over him, expressing his love for his homeland.
It has led to rashes, but he does not care. “It is quite sore, because the body paint is dangerous for the body, but I am still doing it so I can give some smiles for my countrymen,” Sediqi said.
For their match against India, the map of Afghanistan, picked out in the black, red and green of the Afghan tricolour adorned the right-hand side of his face.
On his torso was an intricately drawn lion in similar colours. On his back, also against the background of a tricolour, was the slogan: “Only cricket makes Afghans smile”.
He wore one flag as a bandanna, and carried another one besides.
For the side’s final Super 12 match against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, which they must win to stand a chance of advancing, expect his get-up to be much the same.
And yet, when it comes to picking a winner, the Afghanistan superfan admits he has split allegiances.
“I have to support both teams,” Sediqi said.
Sediqi has flown into the Emirates for this tournament from Auckland. He has lived in New Zealand for 12 years, having moved there to join his family, who fled the country 24 years ago because of the Taliban.
“The people of Afghanistan need us to support the team through this hard time,” he said.
“It is a proud moment. The team is almost in the semi-final. But at the same time I also support New Zealand.
“I have lived there for a long time, the people are nice, and always they give love to us. We try to show the world that we are lovely people, us Afghans.”
Sediqi is grateful for the way he and his family have been welcomed in New Zealand.
He proudly reports he went to the same college as Martin Guptill, the New Zealand opener who will be a sizeable obstacle between the Afghans and a place in the last four.
“The situation was really bad there, so my family moved as refugees,” he said of his family’s exile from Afghanistan.
“They went to Pakistan. From Pakistan they went to Malaysia, and from there some of the people went to Australia, others went to New Zealand.
“They sponsored me to follow them. New Zealand is a really nice country. They really look after people.
“They don’t look at people and say, ‘Oh, you are Afghans,’ or, ‘Oh, you are Americans, or Pakistanis.’ They just look after all of them.”
Not much more than a year after being in New Zealand, he started travelling the globe supporting the Afghan cricket team.
The players of the trailblazing side, who had raced through the lower reaches of international cricket and made it to the game’s top tier, were not his only inspiration.
While watching Pakistan matches, he had seen their own celebrity superfan, Chacha Cricket, and spied a niche for himself.
“I started supporting the team by body painting in 2010, but I have been watching cricket since 2005, when I was eight years old,” Sediqi said.
“I got into cricket because I was impressed by MS Dhoni. Then I was watching Pakistan play, and I saw Chacha Cricket, and I thought, ‘I want to be like that’.
“From 2010 to now I have spent all my money, but I have to bring smiles to Afghan people’s faces.
“They watch me on TV and send me pictures. It makes them happy.”
He had hoped to find a sponsor, as Chacha Cricket often has done, although without any joy so far.
In the meantime, he has been funding his adventures via jobs in a Turkish restaurant, and as a mechanic.
He has been happy to do whatever it takes to try and bring a little cheer to his compatriots.
“Sometimes people think Afghan people are different, but they don’t know what is going on in Afghanistan,” he said.
“They need smiles, and that is what I try to bring.”
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.
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tips for avoiding trouble online
- Do not post incorrect information and beware of fake news
- Do not publish or repost racist or hate speech, yours or anyone else’s
- Do not incite violence and be careful how to phrase what you want to say
- Do not defame anyone. Have a difference of opinion with someone? Don’t attack them on social media
- Do not forget your children and monitor their online activities
Janet Yellen's Firsts
- In 2014, she became the first woman to lead the US Federal Reserve
- In 1999, she became the first female chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers
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David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
The%20Beekeeper
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Crazy Rich Asians
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeon, Gemma Chan
Four stars
Company%20profile
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”
Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
2.0
Director: S Shankar
Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films
Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
3%20Body%20Problem
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh289,000
The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
