Younus Khan is convinced his youthful Pakistan side can reach the summit of the world rankings within two years, as long as they do away with all the controversies which so frequently beset them.
Khan arrived in Dubai yesterday ahead of the Cool & Cool Cup series against New Zealand, still in harness as the captain, even though he had offered to quit earlier in the month after the politicians questioned his integrity.
The Pakistan Cricket Board threw out his resignation and backed him to lead the side until the 2011 World Cup, by which time, Khan insists, his side should be at least among the world's top three.
"My gut feeling is that, in a couple of years we will be the top ranking team," he said. "If we focus on every single tour, we will be in the top three. It will be a big achievement for me and for my country.
"I am lucky I am playing for Pakistan. It is not possible that I am going to be captain for the whole of my life, but I am happy that I am here and representing my country. It [the recent furore] started when the sports committee called me. It was hard for me to go there and answer their questions.
"It is OK if they are questioning me or my top players on my performance. That doesn't just happen in Pakistan - it happens in every single country. It was in my mind that if I couldn't answer their hard questions, I would quit.
"But I had no problem with my team, no problem with the country or my countrymen."
When the New Zealand team touched down in Dubai, their captain, Daniel Vettori, suggested Khan could teach him a thing or two about crisis management.
While Khan has been having his leadership battle, the Black Caps have had to deal with their own problems following the conclusion of the Champions Trophy.
They are touring the Emirates without a coach after Andy Moles stepped down, apparently as a consequence of player power.
Despite their problems, Khan is sure the New Zealanders will pose a threat during the three One-Day Internationals and two Twenty20 matches in the UAE.
"It is all a matter of what kind of leaders you have," said the Pakistan captain. "Vettori is fantastic and a lot will depend on him. They also have [Indian Cricket League] issues where their players weren't there and suddenly they are back.
"But this is international cricket. It is not always possible to play in your own conditions. Sometimes it is hot, sometimes it is cold. Sometimes you have your best players in the team, sometimes not. This is what international cricket is all about."
Meanwhile, the woes of the injury-plagued Australians worsened with their lead strike bowler, Brett Lee, ruled out for the entire series against India with an elbow injury.
The captain Ricky Ponting had admitted that Lee's absence was crucial in the team's 99-run loss in the second game at Nagpur that allowed India to draw the seven-game series 1-1.
Lee will return home while Tim Paine and James Hopes are also ruled for the next match at Ferozshah Kotla stadium in New Delhi.
There was also some controversy yesterday morning when the groundsmen watered the practice pitches before their arrival thus cancelling out their session and leaving Ponting furious.
"Everyone in the world except the groundsmen knew that we were coming for training and when we came it was completely unusable. By the time India will arrive, the wicket will be fine and it's a disadvantage for us," Ponting said.
* With agencies
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Company%20Profile
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Under 19 Cricket World Cup, Asia Qualifier
Fixtures
Friday, April 12, Malaysia v UAE
Saturday, April 13, UAE v Nepal
Monday, April 15, UAE v Kuwait
Tuesday, April 16, UAE v Singapore
Thursday, April 18, UAE v Oman
UAE squad
Aryan Lakra (captain), Aaron Benjamin, Akasha Mohammed, Alishan Sharafu, Anand Kumar, Ansh Tandon, Ashwanth Valthapa, Karthik Meiyappan, Mohammed Faraazuddin, Rishab Mukherjee, Niel Lobo, Osama Hassan, Vritya Aravind, Wasi Shah
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
The biog
Favourite car: Ferrari
Likes the colour: Black
Best movie: Avatar
Academic qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in media production from the Higher Colleges of Technology and diploma in production from the New York Film Academy
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
RESULTS
Men – semi-finals
57kg – Tak Chuen Suen (MAC) beat Phuong Xuan Nguyen (VIE) 29-28; Almaz Sarsembekov (KAZ) beat Zakaria Eljamari (UAE) by points 30-27.
67kg – Mohammed Mardi (UAE) beat Huong The Nguyen (VIE) by points 30-27; Narin Wonglakhon (THA) v Mojtaba Taravati Aram (IRI) by points 29-28.
60kg – Yerkanat Ospan (KAZ) beat Amir Hosein Kaviani (IRI) 30-27; Long Doan Nguyen (VIE) beat Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) 29-28
63.5kg – Abil Galiyev (KAZ) beat Truong Cao Phat (VIE) 30-27; Nouredine Samir (UAE) beat Norapat Khundam (THA) RSC round 3.
71kg – Shaker Al Tekreeti (IRQ) beat Fawzi Baltagi (LBN) 30-27; Amine El Moatassime (UAE) beat Man Kongsib (THA) 29-28
81kg – Ilyass Hbibali (UAE) beat Alexandr Tsarikov (KAZ) 29-28; Khaled Tarraf (LBN) beat Mustafa Al Tekreeti (IRQ) 30-27
86kg – Ali Takaloo (IRI) beat Mohammed Al Qahtani (KSA) RSC round 1; Emil Umayev (KAZ) beat Ahmad Bahman (UAE) TKO round
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Persuasion
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Financial considerations before buying a property
Buyers should try to pay as much in cash as possible for a property, limiting the mortgage value to as little as they can afford. This means they not only pay less in interest but their monthly costs are also reduced. Ideally, the monthly mortgage payment should not exceed 20 per cent of the purchaser’s total household income, says Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching.
“If it’s a rental property, plan for the property to have periods when it does not have a tenant. Ensure you have enough cash set aside to pay the mortgage and other costs during these periods, ideally at least six months,” she says.
Also, shop around for the best mortgage interest rate. Understand the terms and conditions, especially what happens after any introductory periods, Ms Glynn adds.
Using a good mortgage broker is worth the investment to obtain the best rate available for a buyer’s needs and circumstances. A good mortgage broker will help the buyer understand the terms and conditions of the mortgage and make the purchasing process efficient and easier.
Cricket World Cup League Two
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Fixtures
Wednesday January 8 –Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 – Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 – UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
The specs: 2018 BMW X2 and X3
Price, as tested: Dh255,150 (X2); Dh383,250 (X3)
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged inline four-cylinder (X2); 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline six-cylinder (X3)
Power 192hp @ 5,000rpm (X2); 355hp @ 5,500rpm (X3)
Torque: 280Nm @ 1,350rpm (X2); 500Nm @ 1,520rpm (X3)
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic (X2); Eight-speed automatic (X3)
Fuel consumption, combined: 5.7L / 100km (X2); 8.3L / 100km (X3)
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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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
