The impasse between India and Pakistan continues to be felt in cricket after a dramatic first DP World International League T20 player auction.
Five of the six teams in the UAE’s own franchise league have Indian owners. Recent history of leagues around the world has shown that instances of Indian-owned sides signing Pakistani players are rare.
It has happened in the ILT20 before. Imad Wasim, the all-rounder who has played 130 times for Pakistan in international cricket, has represented the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the past.
But in the first ILT20 auction at the Four Seasons hotel in Jumeirah in Dubai on Wednesday, no Pakistan national team players attracted bids from Indian-owned teams.
Relations between the two countries in cricket have been soured even further in recent weeks due to the ugly behaviour at the Asia Cup in the UAE.
India’s decision to opt out of handshakes with their rivals after their first meeting in that tournament prompted a series of hostile incidents.
It culminated in India refusing to accept the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, the ACC president, who had spent much of the tournament threatening boycotts and issuing complaints in his role as chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board.
Amid that atmosphere, it was unlikely the handful of Pakistan players who were available to buy at Wednesday’s auction for the UAE franchise league would prompt any bidding wars.
As such, Desert Vipers, who are owned by the American businessman Avram Glazer, were able to swoop for three Pakistan stars unopposed.
They landed Fakhar Zaman, Naseem Shah and Hasan Nawaz, all for their base rate prices. That was $80,000 for Fakhar and Naseem, and $40,000 for Nawaz.
“We always focus on talent first and foremost,” Phil Oliver, the Vipers chief executive, said.
“Auction dynamics are always quite fluid and we reacted to the situation. We are just delighted to have a really good mix.
“With a bowling attack of Lockie Ferguson, Sam Curran, Khuzaima Tanveer, David Payne, to be able to add Naseem Shah is fantastic.”
The Vipers have mined the Pakistan market in the past. They have had stars like Shaheen Afridi, Shadab Khan and Azam Khan in their ranks before.
Coincidentally, they will also play in green – just like the Pakistan national team – in the coming season, as a nod to the sustainability projects they support.
Fakhar Zaman – who Oliver termed a “great leader” – has previously played for them. Mohammed Amir, who was a popular member of the Vipers squad in the past, went unsold at the auction, as they set their sights on Naseem instead.
“Naseem Shah is a fantastic talent who we have kept and eye on for a while,” Oliver said.
“He brings a lot of pace and we are delighted to have him. He is a real talent and we are excited to bring him into the squad.
“He can bowl in all three phases of the game, he can deliver yorkers, he can bowl will the new ball. He is a real threat and I think he is going to be a danger to all the teams.”
Pakistan nationals who represent the UAE have still been selected by Indian-owned sides, though. Muhammad Waseem, the UAE captain, was retained by MI Emirates, and as such did not have to enter the auction process.
He has been rejoined in their team by Mohammed Rohid, the young left-arm seamer, who attracted a bid of $140,000.
Junaid Siddique, who has been the spearhead of the UAE attack for six years, also attracted a life-changing sum. He will rejoin Sharjah Warriorz in a deal worth $170,000.
For all the issues created by the India-Pakistan feud, the biggest name in the auction list went curiously unsold.
Ravichandran Ashwin, the Indian great, has retired from IPL cricket and is free to travel the world and play T20 franchise league cricket.
He is already booked in to play Australia’s Big Bash League, but had been expected to feature in the ILT20 that precedes that.
He was listed at a base price of $120,000, which was $40,000 more than any other player, yet did not attract a bid in the first round of the auction.
There would have been a chance to bid for him with players who had been unsold entering a final round of bidding. But by that stage he had opted out.
Andre Fletcher was the most expensive player of the auction. The West Indies batter was bought for $260,000 by MI Emirates.
Scott Currie, the Scotland bowler, has gone to Dubai Capitals for $250,00, while England’s Liam Dawson was bought for $170,000 by Gulf Giants.
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UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group H
Juventus v Valencia, Tuesday, midnight (UAE)
The%20Roundup
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'Nightmare Alley'
Director:Guillermo del Toro
Stars:Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara
Rating: 3/5
Zimbabwe v UAE, ODI series
All matches at the Harare Sports Club:
1st ODI, Wednesday, April 10
2nd ODI, Friday, April 12
3rd ODI, Sunday, April 14
4th ODI, Tuesday, April 16
UAE squad: Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 290hp
Torque: 340Nm
Price: Dh155,800
On sale: now
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Tributes from the UAE's personal finance community
• Sebastien Aguilar, who heads SimplyFI.org, a non-profit community where people learn to invest Bogleheads’ style
“It is thanks to Jack Bogle’s work that this community exists and thanks to his work that many investors now get the full benefits of long term, buy and hold stock market investing.
Compared to the industry, investing using the common sense approach of a Boglehead saves a lot in costs and guarantees higher returns than the average actively managed fund over the long term.
From a personal perspective, learning how to invest using Bogle’s approach was a turning point in my life. I quickly realised there was no point chasing returns and paying expensive advisers or platforms. Once money is taken care off, you can work on what truly matters, such as family, relationships or other projects. I owe Jack Bogle for that.”
• Sam Instone, director of financial advisory firm AES International
"Thought to have saved investors over a trillion dollars, Jack Bogle’s ideas truly changed the way the world invests. Shaped by his own personal experiences, his philosophy and basic rules for investors challenged the status quo of a self-interested global industry and eventually prevailed. Loathed by many big companies and commission-driven salespeople, he has transformed the way well-informed investors and professional advisers make decisions."
• Demos Kyprianou, a board member of SimplyFI.org
"Jack Bogle for me was a rebel, a revolutionary who changed the industry and gave the little guy like me, a chance. He was also a mentor who inspired me to take the leap and take control of my own finances."
• Steve Cronin, founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com
"Obsessed with reducing fees, Jack Bogle structured Vanguard to be owned by its clients – that way the priority would be fee minimisation for clients rather than profit maximisation for the company.
His real gift to us has been the ability to invest in the stock market (buy and hold for the long term) rather than be forced to speculate (try to make profits in the shorter term) or even worse have others speculate on our behalf.
Bogle has given countless investors the ability to get on with their life while growing their wealth in the background as fast as possible. The Financial Independence movement would barely exist without this."
• Zach Holz, who blogs about financial independence at The Happiest Teacher
"Jack Bogle was one of the greatest forces for wealth democratisation the world has ever seen. He allowed people a way to be free from the parasitical "financial advisers" whose only real concern are the fat fees they get from selling you over-complicated "products" that have caused millions of people all around the world real harm.”
• Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.org
"In an industry that’s synonymous with greed, Jack Bogle was a lone wolf, swimming against the tide. When others were incentivised to enrich themselves, he stood by the ‘fiduciary’ standard – something that is badly needed in the financial industry of the UAE."
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SPECS
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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.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
Profile
Company name: Jaib
Started: January 2018
Co-founders: Fouad Jeryes and Sinan Taifour
Based: Jordan
Sector: FinTech
Total transactions: over $800,000 since January, 2018
Investors in Jaib's mother company Alpha Apps: Aramex and 500 Startups
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Company%20profile
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
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Mobile phone packages comparison
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Scoreline:
Barcelona 2
Suarez 85', Messi 86'
Atletico Madrid 0
Red card: Diego Costa 28' (Atletico)
ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
US tops drug cost charts
The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.
Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.
In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.
Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol.
The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.
High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
