SHARJAH // Mohammed Nawaz proved an unlikely hero as he kept his cool to bowl Quetta Gladiators into the Pakistan Super League final in a thrilling finish at a sold out Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
The Pakistan left-arm spinner, who first rose to wider prominence in this competition 12 months ago, had already gone for 46 runs off three overs when he was brought on to bowl the final over against Peshawar Zalmi.
They needed seven. He leaked five, taking one wicket and his team a further two in the last two balls, all of which meant Quetta are the first team through to Sunday’s final in Lahore.
The full flight manifest may be incomplete as yet. Many of their overseas contingent are certain not to go due to safety fears. But at least the Gladiators collective have their tickets booked for the trip to Lahore.
Peshawar could yet be there, too. Although they lost here, they have a second chance when they face the winner of Wednesday's second play-off between Karachi Kings and Islamabad United in Dubai on Friday.
Straight from the off, it was apparent this match meant so much more than those that had gone before. This is finals cricket, and the players meant business.
Some of it was combustible. Wahab Riaz, Peshawar’s fast-bowler, collided with Kevin Pietersen, then hit the Quetta batsman as he threw his run out attempt.
Hilariously, Pietersen’s batting partner Ahmed Shehzad was a would-be peacemaker. Like that was ever going to happen. Luckily Darren Sammy, Peshawar’s fun-loving captain, was on hand to defuse.
Pietersen responded by plundering a six off the next ball over the long square boundary, over the stand, and over to the other side of the road, too, endangering stationary traffic.
Both Shehzad and Pietersen were in fine touch. Shehzad’s 71 came in just 38 balls, Pietersen’s 40 using a mere 22.
Mohammed Hafeez hit a sparkling 77 in reply, but once he went, Zalmi somehow managed to botch the run chase.
In terms of the entertainment on the field, the PSL has been reaching ever greater heights as the final approaches.
Eight of the last nine league matches were decided in the final over. Three of those went to the last ball.
And in this first play-off, a return to the batsman-friendly pitches of the start of the tournament made for the second highest innings score to date.
And yet the product looks set to be greatly diminished when it does go to Lahore. It is not just the teams who are going to have to reshape their squads for the trip.
Sunset and Vine, the production company who have been in charge of the broadcasts so far, have decided against travelling due to security concerns.
None of the international commentators – Alan Wilkins, Mel Jones, Danny Morrison or Ian Bishop – will make the trip, nor will the Spidercam or its operators.
Perhaps more pertinently to the game itself, those handling the Hawk-Eye technology have also opted out. As such, the Decision Review System, which was only implemented at the play-off stage anyway, is likely to be a short lived PSL experiment.
Whatever form it takes and however it is presented, though, at least Quetta will be there.
pradley@thenational.ae
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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
Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlmouneer%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dr%20Noha%20Khater%20and%20Rania%20Kadry%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEgypt%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E120%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBootstrapped%2C%20with%20support%20from%20Insead%20and%20Egyptian%20government%2C%20seed%20round%20of%20%3Cbr%3E%243.6%20million%20led%20by%20Global%20Ventures%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
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
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
Scoreline:
Manchester City 1
Jesus 4'
Brighton 0
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
Company profile
Name: Back to Games and Boardgame Space
Started: Back to Games (2015); Boardgame Space (Mark Azzam became co-founder in 2017)
Founder: Back to Games (Mr Azzam); Boardgame Space (Mr Azzam and Feras Al Bastaki)
Based: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Industry: Back to Games (retail); Boardgame Space (wholesale and distribution)
Funding: Back to Games: self-funded by Mr Azzam with Dh1.3 million; Mr Azzam invested Dh250,000 in Boardgame Space
Growth: Back to Games: from 300 products in 2015 to 7,000 in 2019; Boardgame Space: from 34 games in 2017 to 3,500 in 2019
Generational responses to the pandemic
Devesh Mamtani from Century Financial believes the cash-hoarding tendency of each generation is influenced by what stage of the employment cycle they are in. He offers the following insights:
Baby boomers (those born before 1964): Owing to market uncertainty and the need to survive amid competition, many in this generation are looking for options to hoard more cash and increase their overall savings/investments towards risk-free assets.
Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980): Gen X is currently in its prime working years. With their personal and family finances taking a hit, Generation X is looking at multiple options, including taking out short-term loan facilities with competitive interest rates instead of dipping into their savings account.
Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996): This market situation is giving them a valuable lesson about investing early. Many millennials who had previously not saved or invested are looking to start doing so now.
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
