Ten wickets in a Test innings and a sensational spell with a fractured jaw in Antigua. Those two moments define the career of Anil Kumble, a master of his art and a cussed competitor.
For close to two decades, Kumble carried the Indian attack on his shoulders, with a broad smile after each of his 956 international wickets and hands-on-the-hip annoyance at every close shave.
Approaching his 40th year, the leg-spinner still carries those traits and his niggardly statistics in the IPL would suggest his powers are not waning , but Kumble feels the end is nigh.
Tonight's third place play-off with Royal Challengers Bangalore against Deccan Chargers for a spot in the Champions League could be Kumble's final hurrah.
"The Champions League is there, [but I am] pushing 40," he told the official website of the IPL. "So I don't know. The body needs to hold up and bowling four overs is not a problem, but the other things that happen on the cricket field have [taken their toll].
"The training to play these 16 games is not easy, but I think personally I have done well, not too bad. I haven't had an injury and have played all the 15 games and one more to go, so I don't know. I will have to just assess once this gets over and then sit down with the franchise and have a chat."
A spot in September's Champions League in South Africa was not at the top of Kumble's wish list. He was egging his weary bones on to win the top prize in the IPL after missing out last season when they lost to the Deccan Chargers in the final. With that dream dashed by a dominant Mumbai Indians, Kumble is keen to get the consolation.
"The big prize was probably the IPL final and we missed out on that," he said. "It does hurt when you have played well and you have qualified for the semi-finals and it does hurt when you lose.
"We can take credit for the fact that we have played well in the last two seasons of the IPL having reached the semi-finals, final the previous year and semi-finals now.
"We have an opportunity to get through to the Champions League, so probably that is a consolation for us. I haven't still got over the loss of the last IPL and probably this will take a longer time. I don't play international cricket, for me this is the only form of cricket that I play, am extremely competitive in this form and it hurts.
"Probably for other players they have other tournaments and they probably would be able to get over. For me... it is not the same."
As Kumble hinted about a possible end, Adam Gilchrist, 38, has expressed his desire to return next season but his decision is not motivated by money. "I would love to be part of the Deccan Chargers next year," the Australian said. "I'm going to play a few games at Middlesex in the summer.
"I've no desire to play a domestic full summer. I'm done with that, but I'll be ready nearing the next IPL. Everyone in every walk of life needs something to survive. Some people cherish money more than others, but I don't see anything else except a natural desire to win.
"The memories of last year from where we came from the previous year - they are the reasons I'm playing. What charges me up and keeps me coming back is that nice little incentive of that winning feeling."
* Compiled by Ahmed Rizvi
Deccan Charges v Royal Challengers Bangalore, 6.30pm, Cric One
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
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
PROFILE OF STARZPLAY
Date started: 2014
Founders: Maaz Sheikh, Danny Bates
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment/Streaming Video On Demand
Number of employees: 125
Investors/Investment amount: $125 million. Major investors include Starz/Lionsgate, State Street, SEQ and Delta Partners
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
Specs%3A%202024%20McLaren%20Artura%20Spider
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Company%20Profile
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Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
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Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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%E2%80%98White%20Elephant%E2%80%99
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jesse%20V%20Johnson%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Michael%20Rooker%2C%20Bruce%20Willis%2C%20John%20Malkovich%2C%20Olga%20Kurylenko%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
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
Greatest Royal Rumble results
John Cena pinned Triple H in a singles match
Cedric Alexander retained the WWE Cruiserweight title against Kalisto
Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt win the Raw Tag Team titles against Cesaro and Sheamus
Jeff Hardy retained the United States title against Jinder Mahal
Bludgeon Brothers retain the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos
Seth Rollins retains the Intercontinental title against The Miz, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe
AJ Styles remains WWE World Heavyweight champion after he and Shinsuke Nakamura are both counted out
The Undertaker beats Rusev in a casket match
Brock Lesnar retains the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
Braun Strowman won the 50-man Royal Rumble by eliminating Big Cass last
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Fixtures and results:
Wed, Aug 29:
- Malaysia bt Hong Kong by 3 wickets
- Oman bt Nepal by 7 wickets
- UAE bt Singapore by 215 runs
Thu, Aug 30:
- UAE bt Nepal by 78 runs
- Hong Kong bt Singapore by 5 wickets
- Oman bt Malaysia by 2 wickets
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
