Esha Oza says she was lost for words after finding out she had been named the Women’s Associate Cricketer of the Year for a second time.
The national team captain won the award for her excellence across 2024, when she hit the third highest number of runs of any batter in women’s T20I cricket.
In the process, she helped establish the UAE as a competitive force at the top of the game, playing at the Asia Cup, as well as taking two wins off Zimbabwe, and coming close to making it to the T20 World Cup for the first time. Oza first won the prestigious award in 2022.
While the announcement was made public on Sunday, Oza had been told she had won last week, when the ICC wanted to conduct an interview to publicise the award.
“I just got a call and didn’t know what it was for,” Oza, 27, said. “Anjani [Gaja, the Emirates Cricket Board’s operations manager for UAE Women] said, ‘Congratulations, you have won this’. I thought, ‘Oh, wow’. I didn’t know what to say.
“Since [Sunday morning, when the ICC announced the award] I have been getting messages of congratulations from lots of people. I have been busily typing back saying, ‘Thank you, thank you’.”
Oza won the same award two years previously. Shortly after being presented with that, Ahmed Raza became the new coach of the UAE women’s team. At one of the first meetings with his new charges, he set Oza the target of repeating the achievement.
“He said the challenge to me was to try to win this award again, and in 2024, I was happy I could do that,” Oza said.
“The first time I got an award from the ICC was obviously very special. This time I feel like I have done well against better sides, and it feels better winning it for that reason. Back in 2022, it was recognition for performances against Gulf nations.
“This time we got to play against better sides, and I was able to score runs against them.”
Oza’s year started with her being named the player of the tournament as the leading run scorer in the qualification tournament for the Asia Cup.
After that, she played a key role in taking the national team to the brink of qualification for the T20 World Cup. She made 66 not out against the Netherlands in the group stage to put the UAE through to the all-important semi-final in Abu Dhabi.
The two finalists in that event would make it to the main event – which was subsequently relocated from Bangladesh to the UAE due to civil unrest.
Despite her defiant 66 from 44 balls against eventual tournament winners Sri Lanka, the UAE fell narrowly short of an upset.
Her overall haul for the year of 711 T20I runs was bettered only by Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu (720) and India opener Smriti Mandhana (763). In addition, she took 16 wickets at an average of 19.68, with an economy rate of 5.41 runs per over.
“It is great to be able to perform for your country at whatever level you are playing at,” Oza said.
“If it is helping your team win games, that is something you want to do. When you are able to do that against higher-ranked teams, as we did against Zimbabwe, that makes you feel like you are contributing to the team becoming better.
“We are achieving success as a team, and as an individual as well.”
The overriding memory of the 2024 campaign for supporters of the UAE women’s team will likely be Oza’s effort in defeat against Sri Lanka.
The batter herself regards the 84 she made in a win against Zimbabwe in Windhoek later in the year – when UAE won a tri-series involving them and hosts Namibia – as her favourite innings of the year.
“I did enjoy [the Sri Lanka] innings but it didn’t end well, so I would pick the 84 I made against Zimbabwe,” she said.
“They were a higher-ranked side, we got points on the board, and have come up to No 15 in the world rankings now. We beat them twice out of three times. I did enjoy batting against Sri Lanka but it doesn’t have such good memories attached to it.”
MATCH INFO
Chelsea 0
Liverpool 2 (Mane 50', 54')
Red card: Andreas Christensen (Chelsea)
Man of the match: Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
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Paltan
Producer: JP Films, Zee Studios
Director: JP Dutta
Cast: Jackie Shroff, Sonu Sood, Arjun Rampal, Siddhanth Kapoor, Luv Sinha and Harshvardhan Rane
Rating: 2/5
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
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Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu World Tour Calendar 2018/19
July 29: OTA Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan
Sep 22-23: LA Convention Centre in Los Angeles, US
Nov 16-18: Carioca Arena Centre in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Feb 7-9: Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE
Mar 9-10: Copper Box Arena in London, UK
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How it works
Booklava works on a subscription model. On signing up you receive a free book as part of a 30-day-trial period, after which you pay US$9.99 (Dh36.70) per month to gain access to a library of books and discounts of up to 30 per cent on selected titles. You can cancel your subscription at any time. For more details go to www.booklava.com
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SCORES
Yorkshire Vikings 144-1 in 12.5 overs
(Tom Kohler 72 not out, Harry Broook 42 not out)
bt Hobart Hurricanes 140-7 in 20 overs
(Caleb Jewell 38, Sean Willis 35, Karl Carver 2-29, Josh Shaw 2-39)
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
'How To Build A Boat'
Jonathan Gornall, Simon & Schuster
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
Bareilly Ki Barfi
Directed by: Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
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Three and a half stars
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
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Asia Cup Qualifier
Venue: Kuala Lumpur
Result: Winners play at Asia Cup in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in September
Fixtures:
Wed Aug 29: Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore
Thu Aug 30: UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman
Sat Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal
Sun Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore
Tue Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu Sep 6: Final
Asia Cup
Venue: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Schedule: Sep 15-28
Teams: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, plus the winner of the Qualifier
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The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
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12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
Scoreline:
Everton 4
Richarlison 13'), Sigurdsson 28', Digne 56', Walcott 64'
Manchester United 0
Man of the match: Gylfi Sigurdsson (Everton)
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Test series fixtures
(All matches start at 2pm UAE)
1st Test Lord's, London from Thursday to Monday
2nd Test Nottingham from July 14-18
3rd Test The Oval, London from July 27-31
4th Test Manchester from August 4-8
