In what will have come as good news to UAE cricket, the International Cricket Council (ICC) this week said it was shaking up the one-day international structure.
The game’s world governing body essentially announced a new qualification pathway for the 2023 Cricket World Cup, to be held in India from February 9-March 26, but it will have a positive impact on the game – especially for the teams just below the elite level.
The initial problem
The ICC created huge controversy when it announced in 2016 that it was reducing the 2019 50-overs World Cup to just 10 teams – from the original 14 – which meant making it virtually impossible for teams outside the elite level to qualify for the game’s flagship tournament.
As a means to assuage the ‘Associate Nation’ teams, of which the UAE are one, the ICC awarded Twenty20 status to all 32 members of the ‘World Cricket League’ – or the WCL – in its clearest indication yet that T20 was its route to marketing the game globally.
As a result, however, the UAE – who had qualified for the 2015 event when it was held in Australia and New Zealand – failed to make the cut for the 2019 event, to be held in the United Kingdom.
The knock-on effect was Associate Nation teams, such as the UAE, getting fewer avenues and opportunities to play one-day international cricket, which in turn limited their chances of getting better at the format.
Put simply, the likes of the UAE were stuck in a vicious cycle.
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‘Route to India 2023’
According to the new system, the number of teams that can qualify for the 2023 tournament will almost certainly remain the same – 10 – unless there is some movement on the part of the ICC to accommodate more sides.
That being said, it gives more opportunities to the teams to compete and improve.
How? Read on.
Three-tier system
The world’s top 32 teams (according to WCL rankings) have been divvied up into three tiers:
Tier 1 – ‘Super League’
The Super League comprises 13 teams – including the 12 Test sides (India, Australia, England, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Ireland) and the Netherlands.
Each team will play bilateral ODI series scheduled to take place from July 2020-2022. A total of 156 matches will be played during this period, with each team playing 24 matches.
Eight of the top-ranked teams will qualify automatically for the World Cup.
The remaining five sides will be involved in a 10-team World Cup Qualifier tournament, to be played in 2022, to pick the remaining two (but more on this later).
Tier 2 – League 2
League 2 consists of seven teams, with three of the sides confirmed – Nepal, Scotland and the UAE. They will be joined by the top four finishers in the 'WCL Division 2' tournament, which will be held in April 2019.
The seven sides will compete in 126 matches between July 2019 through to the end of 2021. Each team will play 36 ODIs in all – including six matches (three at home, three away) against each of the other six sides.
The top three sides from this tier will join the five bottom-placed teams from the Super League in the World Cup Qualifier.
The remaining four sides of League 2 will be demoted to the World Cup Qualifier Play-Off tournament, also to be held in 2022.
Tier 3 – World Cup Challenge
The ICC has divided the remaining 12 teams into two leagues of six teams each, namely the World Cup Challenge 'League A' and World Cup Challenge 'League B'.
Ninety matches will be played in each of the two leagues, with each of the six teams being involved in 15 matches each.
The winner of each league will progress to World Cup Qualifier Play-Off.
The Play-Off
This competition will pit the two league winners from the World Cup Challenge division with four bottom-placed teams from League 2.
The top two teams will qualify for the Qualifier.
The Qualifier
This final phase of qualification will include the five bottom-placed sides from the Super League, the three top-ranked sides from League 2, and the top two teams from the Play-Off. Two of the best sides will take up the remaining 2023 World Cup berths.
Why this is good for the UAE
One-word: exposure.
The UAE, who have been involved in just 46 ODIs between 1994 and 2018, will play 36 ODIs over a two-and-a-half-year period.
This will hopefully mean more exposure, more sponsorship, more money, and a greater incentive to get better.
After all, they are provided with a genuine shot at promotion to the top tier, and perhaps World Cup qualification one day.
Results
1. New Zealand Daniel Meech – Fine (name of horse), Richard Gardner – Calisto, Bruce Goodin - Backatorps Danny V, Samantha McIntosh – Check In. Team total First round: 200.22; Second round: 201.75 – Penalties 12 (jump-off 40.16 seconds) Prize €64,000
2. Ireland Cameron Hanley – Aiyetoro, David Simpson – Keoki, Paul Kennedy – Cartown Danger Mouse, Shane Breen – Laith. Team total 200.25/202.84 – P 12 (jump-off 51.79 – P17) Prize €40,000
3. Italy Luca Maria Moneta – Connery, Luca Coata – Crandessa, Simone Coata – Dardonge, Natale Chiaudani – Almero. Team total 130.82/198.-4 – P20. Prize €32,000
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
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- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
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- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
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Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
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.
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THE BIO
Occupation: Specialised chief medical laboratory technologist
Age: 78
Favourite destination: Always Al Ain “Dar Al Zain”
Hobbies: his work - “ the thing which I am most passionate for and which occupied all my time in the morning and evening from 1963 to 2019”
Other hobbies: football
Favorite football club: Al Ain Sports Club
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1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations
2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred
3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC
4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.
5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.
6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security
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Super 30
Produced: Sajid Nadiadwala and Phantom Productions
Directed: Vikas Bahl
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Pankaj Tripathi, Aditya Srivastav, Mrinal Thakur
Rating: 3.5 /5
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
The British in India: Three Centuries of Ambition and Experience
by David Gilmour
Allen Lane
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THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
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Sustainable Development Goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
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5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
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8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
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10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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Anxiety and work stress major factors
Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.
A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.
Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.
One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.
It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."
Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.
“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi.
“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."
Daniel Bardsley
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
Get inspired
Here are a couple of Valentine’s Day food products that may or may not go the distance (but have got the internet talking anyway).
Sourdough sentiments: Marks & Spencer in the United Kingdom has introduced a slow-baked sourdough loaf dusted with flour to spell out I (heart) you, at £2 (Dh9.5). While it’s not available in the UAE, there’s nothing to stop you taking the idea and creating your own message of love, stencilled on breakfast-inbed toast.
Crisps playing cupid: Crisp company Tyrells has added a spicy addition to its range for Valentine’s Day. The brand describes the new honey and chilli flavour on Twitter as: “A tenderly bracing duo of the tantalising tingle of chilli with sweet and sticky honey. A helping hand to get your heart racing.” Again, not on sale here, but if you’re tempted you could certainly fashion your own flavour mix (spicy Cheetos and caramel popcorn, anyone?).
Crazy Rich Asians
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeon, Gemma Chan
Four stars
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Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
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