ABU DHABI // Mushtaq Ahmed is hoping that his new appointment as England's spin bowling coach will help his adopted country when they take on arch-enemy Australia, who will be defending the Ashes.
Mushtaq, 38, who recently called a halt to his own playing career because of persistent knee trouble, was delighted that the prestige coaching job came his way so swiftly. The appointment came out the blue after he had casual chats with Peter Moores, the England head coach, and spinner Monty Panesar.
The Pakistan leg spinner Mushtaq, who was compared alongside Shane Warne, reckons the absence of Warne and other matchwinners from the Australian line-up gives England a slight advantage in their quest to repeat their dramatic 2005 Ashes triumph.
"That is going to be a really exciting time for everybody in England," said a bubbling Mushtaq on a promotional visit to Abu Dhabi to watch his home side take on the West Indies.
Mushtaq, who is working for Etisalat, regards England as his second home. His wicket-taking prowess in a successful Sussex team had the captain Chris Adams describing him as "the best player ever to wear that county's shirt".
"Obviously I regard myself as Pakistani first, but England is my second home and the country has been good to me. So I am delighted to have the chance to give something back," said Mushtaq, known all over the world as "Mushy".
"I believe that England can regain the Ashes and I will do anything possible to help that happen.
"England have a good unit out there and you don't really have to change that much at the senior level. Andrew Flintoff is back to form, so is Steve Harmison and Simon Jones is not too far away from regaining his best. They were key bowlers in the last home series against the Australians."
Mushtaq sees his England role as one of seeking out new talent. "If Monty Panesar or any of the other senior players needs my help than I'm available, but I am more concerned at the moment with the up-and-coming players.
"I have always held the view that spinners win matches, as Monty has proved in the past. If I can find England another Monty or somebody even better than I can feel that I have done my job.
"I regard myself as a gardener, watering plants and hoping to see them grow tall and strong."
wjohnson@thenational.ae
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
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From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
The specs
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Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
The biog
Age: 23
Occupation: Founder of the Studio, formerly an analyst at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi
Education: Bachelor of science in industrial engineering
Favourite hobby: playing the piano
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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.
Company%20Profile
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The specs
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Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm
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Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: from Dh155,000
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Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
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.
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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
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
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Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
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On sale: Now
Tips for job-seekers
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Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
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
