The Pakistan Super League sprang a big surprise this year as two-time champions Lahore Qalandars got knocked out of the race for the play-offs after a disastrous league campaign.
Led by Pakistan's star pacer and captain Shaheen Afridi, Qalandars struggled throughout the season, managing just one win and suffering eight defeats, with their much vaunted pace attack missing their mark more often than not.
Sunday capped a miserable season for them as Quetta Gladiators sealed a play-off spot after all-rounder Mohammad Wasim smashed Afridi for a last-ball six to hand Qalandars a six-wicket defeat.
Victory for Quetta also eliminated Karachi Kings (8 points) from the play-offs race as they can now only rise to 10 points after their final league phase game. Karachi are captained by Pakistan's Test captain Shan Masood.
Along with Quetta, Multan Sultans (12 points), Islamabad United (11) and Peshawar Zalmi (11) also advanced.
On Sunday, opener Saud Shakeel anchored Quetta’s run chase of 167 with an unbeaten 88 off 65 balls that included two successive boundaries against Afridi (2-41) in the final over before Wasim smacked Lahore's captain over mid-wicket for the winning runs.
Left-arm fast bowler Jahandad Khan (2-30) had halted Quetta’s chase in the first half of the innings with the wickets of Jason Roy (18) and captain Rilee Rossouw (13) before Shakeel and Khawaja Nafay (26) put on a 70-run stand.
It was a poor outing with the ball for Afridi, who had earlier hit 55 after promoting himself to number five – something which he has been doing regularly – in the batting order as Lahore made 166-4 after choosing to bat first.
Lahore sorely missed star spinner Rashid Khan, who got injured, and the pace of Haris Rauf.
In the earlier match, Colin Munro and captain Shadab Khan led Islamabad's excellent run-chase against Multan as the two-time former champions qualified for the play-offs in a high-scoring game in Rawalpindi.
Munro hit 84 off 40 balls and Shadab added 54 off 31 before Imad Wasim made a crucial unbeaten 30 to power Islamabad to 232-7 for a three-wicket win in their last league game.
Earlier, Usman Khan hit his second successive century in the tournament as his unbeaten 100 off 50 balls helped Multan post 228-4 after Shadab chose to field.
Usman smashed 15 fours and three sixes and shared two solid half-century stands with Johnson Charles (42) and Iftikhar Ahmed (13).
The scintillating form of Usman will be followed keenly by Pakistan and the UAE as the batsman had earlier said that he was keen to represent the latter in international cricket and not the country of his birth.
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Scores
Wales 74-24 Tonga
England 35-15 Japan
Italy 7-26 Australia
Series info
Test series schedule 1st Test, Abu Dhabi: Sri Lanka won by 21 runs; 2nd Test, Dubai: Play starts at 2pm, Friday-Tuesday
ODI series schedule 1st ODI, Dubai: October 13; 2nd ODI, Abu Dhabi: October 16; 3rd ODI, Abu Dhabi: October 18; 4th ODI, Sharjah: October 20; 5th ODI, Sharjah: October 23
T20 series schedule 1st T20, Abu Dhabi: October 26; 2nd T20, Abu Dhabi: October 27; 3rd T20, Lahore: October 29
Tickets Available at www.q-tickets.com
Stat Fourteen Fourteen of the past 15 Test matches in the UAE have been decided on the final day. Both of the previous two Tests at Dubai International Stadium have been settled in the last session. Pakistan won with less than an hour to go against West Indies last year. Against England in 2015, there were just three balls left.
Key battle - Azhar Ali v Rangana Herath Herath may not quite be as flash as Muttiah Muralitharan, his former spin-twin who ended his career by taking his 800th wicket with his final delivery in Tests. He still has a decent sense of an ending, though. He won the Abu Dhabi match for his side with 11 wickets, the last of which was his 400th in Tests. It was not the first time he has owned Pakistan, either. A quarter of all his Test victims have been Pakistani. If Pakistan are going to avoid a first ever series defeat in the UAE, Azhar, their senior batsman, needs to stand up and show the way to blunt Herath.
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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
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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Match info
Uefa Champions League Group H
Juventus v Valencia, Tuesday, midnight (UAE)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
ZAYED SUSTAINABILITY PRIZE
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
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
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
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What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
The bio
Academics: Phd in strategic management in University of Wales
Number one caps: His best-seller caps are in shades of grey, blue, black and yellow
Reading: Is immersed in books on colours to understand more about the usage of different shades
Sport: Started playing polo two years ago. Helps him relax, plus he enjoys the speed and focus
Cars: Loves exotic cars and currently drives a Bentley Bentayga
Holiday: Favourite travel destinations are London and St Tropez
MATCH INFO
Crawley Town 3 (Tsaroulla 50', Nadesan 53', Tunnicliffe 70')
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The specs
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Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
