AJMAN //Women's cricket will be a top priority of the Sharjah Cricket Council (SCC) in the coming season as they seek greater participation from schools and parents.
The sport has been hugely popular among Indian and Pakistani expatriates, but women's cricket has been slow to take off in the UAE. Their debut on the international stage came in 2007, when a 12-year-old Natasha Cherriath led a team to the Asian Cricket Council's women's tournament.
Progress has been made in recent years and around 30 girls attend the SCC nets at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Mazhar Khan, the honorary secretary of the SCC, wants to double that number in the coming season.
"There are some parents who are a bit shy to bring their children," Mazhar said. "I believe these are all talented girls and their parents should support them. It's very safe and we make sure that when these girls are practising, no one is around there. So I think the parents, especially from those schools which are not really involved in cricket, should take a lead and come forward."
Two members of the UAE women's team, Ayesha Naushad Khan and Rashida Shabbir Hussain, were honoured at the SCC's annual awards night last week in Ajman. Teams from William Hare Abu Dhabi Gymkhana and Ibson Cricket Club, who won three SCC tournaments each last season, dominated the awards night, overshadowing Eurocon Alubond, Afridi CC and Yogi Group, who won two tournaments each.
The two new members of the UAE team, the off-spinner Nasir Aziz and Shaiman Anwar, took home five individual awards each, and Shadeep Silva had four.
Anwar, a hard-hitting batsman, was presented with a special award for scoring more than 2,500 runs in 25 matches last season.
"It's amazing," Mazhar said of Anwar's prolific scoring. "Earlier, he was a very aggressive player, but now I think he is putting a greater price on his wicket. He is staying at the wicket for that many overs to get these many runs.
"Earlier he used to just come in and slog, but I think he is maturing into a very good batsman and I am sure he will be a great support to the UAE team."
Given his form, much will be expected from Anwar when the UAE start their campaign in the four-day Intercontinental Cup against Kenya from July 28 in Nairobi. The UAE qualified for the tournament after winning the World Cricket League Division 2 and will later play Afghanistan, Ireland, Canada, Netherlands, Scotland and Namibia. "We have the Intercontinental Cup, plus we have two one-day internationals that we are playing against Kenya," Mazhar said.
"We are a more balanced side now and these new players who have come into the team are being a great support to the side. We are improving on the fielding also, which was a negative factor earlier and hopefully this Intercontinental Cup first-round match, followed by the one in October in Sharjah, should be a good test of our progress."
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes.
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
THE SPECS – Honda CR-V Touring AWD
Engine: 2.4-litre 4-cylinder
Power: 184hp at 6,400rpm
Torque: 244Nm at 3,900rpm
Transmission: Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)
0-100kmh in 9.4 seconds
Top speed: 202kmh
Fuel consumption: 6.8L/100km
Price: From Dh122,900
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 4 (Suarez 27', Vidal 32', Dembele 35', Messi 78')
Sevilla 0
Red cards: Ronald Araujo, Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona)
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
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
South Africa squad
Faf du Plessis (captain), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Theunis de Bruyn, AB de Villiers, Dean Elgar, Heinrich Klaasen (wicketkeeper), Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Morne Morkel, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada.
SUZUME
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Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
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Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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'Brazen'
Director: Monika Mitchell
Starring: Alyssa Milano, Sam Page, Colleen Wheeler
Rating: 3/5
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