Reg Dickason, right, a cricket security expert, is said to have major concerns over the IPL organisers' security measures ahead of the 2010 instalment of the competition.
Reg Dickason, right, a cricket security expert, is said to have major concerns over the IPL organisers' security measures ahead of the 2010 instalment of the competition.

The money makes it a risk worth taking



The player associations of Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa have all expressed concerns about sending their players to the IPL. Chris Cairns gives his solutions on the matter. An agonising conundrum: cash for life, or potentially, your life for cash. The international players who have signed lucrative contracts for the 2010 instalment of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which starts on March 12, will be wrestling with many issues at present.

These are men with million dollar contracts for six weeks' work. They will be trying to justify to themselves in every conceivable way that the environment the IPL organising committee says it will create for them, as far as security is concerned, will indeed be what they say it is. The difficulty with security for the IPL is the geographical spread. There is absolutely no correlation to the World Hockey Championships, which begin in India on Sunday, or to the Commonwealth Games to be staged later this year. Comparisons to these events are rendered pointless (but may actually provide a solution) as these events are confined to one city and all security resources are concentrated in to one area.

The IPL on the other hand is played in 12 different cities in several different states. Each state will have its own plan with its own security and this in itself possesses inconsistencies that would have been flagged straight away by Reg Dickason, a security expert who specialises in the sport, who has been commissioned by the player associations of England, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa to address the security issue.

Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, has been vocal in his distaste for the players' representatives. The Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (Fica), headed up by Tim May, the former Australian Test off-spinner, have been at loggerheads with Modi over the latter's inflexibility in providing Fica with a detailed report of their security plans. It is foolish for Modi not to recognise these associations because these organisations play a major role in every cricketing decision the modern player makes.

Fica have the players' best interests at heart and they are not just some blue collar workers' union. They are made up of men who have played the game, and over the last decade have come to work alongside their respective cricket boards to create a better environment for players and board members alike. The game of cricket is the winner in this marriage. It seems the report from Dickason, the security expert, is a damning one. Obviously we will never know publicly what their concerns are but Fica will go back to the IPL to seek clarification on certain issues. So what are the solutions?

The first one is don't go. But here you risk endangering your value for the auction to be held in September this year for the 2011 instalment of the lucrative Twenty20 competition. In fact some sources at the IPL say players who choose not to play this year may be blacklisted for future tournaments. I don't believe this will happen but then again I didn't think any Pakistan players would not be picked in the 2010 auction.

Option two is to stage the event in another country, as was done last year when the tournament was moved, miraculously, in four weeks to South Africa. Modi insists this is not an option, saying it will take place in India regardless of whether players pull out. It's a pity for the UAE that there is so little time available to shift the event, as I believe Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah could easily host it; the venues are world-class and safety is all but guaranteed.

Option three is to do exactly what the World Hockey Championships and Commonwealth Games do: concentrate the games in one area at a time. This would mean playing matches in one city and one venue over four days. For example, Mumbai would host the first six to eight matches of the tournament. This would mean having all the players stay at the same hotel and then there is only one ground to secure. Then it would be pack up and go to the next venue in say, Kolkota, where the same programme is rolled out. Then on to each of the other grounds appointed for the 2010 fixture list.

There are many television and production people involved in the IPL and you would need a crew setting up in the next location so the players would literally come in and play the four days and then move on. This is achievable because of the scale of the IPL's resources. It also means everyone is contained in one location and are easier to protect. The fourth option is the most interesting one. We have heard from the players about their security concerns. With the money that is on offer to them, surely if a few of the players in the same franchise pooled together their funds they could employ their own security team. When travelling with your national team it will be the country's board who pay for security guys like Dickason to accompany the team. If I was at Kolkota I would get Shane Bond and Brendon McCullum together and ask Dickason how much it would cost to have him along with us for the six weeks. It's viable but I haven't heard it mentioned, but I bet that some players who go will employ their own security.

What would I do if I was faced with this situation? I'd go and play. I would employ a security team to travel with me at all times and keep abreast of affairs. The world around us is a changing landscape. Militants get mileage out of threats; fear is the weapon they use to create doubt. I would hate to see anything dreadful happen for the sake of the Indian people. I believe it could evoke a potentially violent response from a very peaceful nation to whoever instigates an attack.

The effects of 9/11 and the Mumbai attacks in November 2008 means people fear the worst whenever a threat is issued. The images of those harrowing days are tattooed on the psyche. Sure, by going to the IPL you increase the odds of putting yourself in harms way, but we are never sure of our days' end. Each player's decision to stay at home or to travel is the correct one for them. I just wouldn't let someone or something dictate how I live my life.

sports@thenational.ae

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Nepotism is the name of the game

Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad. 

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Rooney's club record

At Everton Appearances: 77; Goals: 17

At Manchester United Appearances: 559; Goals: 253

The Perfect Couple

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor

Creator: Jenna Lamia

Rating: 3/5

The specs

Engine: 2-litre 4-cylinder and 3.6-litre 6-cylinder

Power: 220 and 280 horsepower

Torque: 350 and 360Nm

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Price: from Dh136,521 VAT and Dh166,464 VAT 

On sale: now

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Film: Raid
Dir: Rajkumar Gupta
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Ileana D'cruz and Saurabh Shukla

Verdict:  Three stars 

The Penguin

Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz

Creator: Lauren LeFranc

Rating: 4/5

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THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick

Hometown: Cologne, Germany

Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)

Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes

Favourite hobby: Football

Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk

The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now

 

Rock in a Hard Place: Music and Mayhem in the Middle East
Orlando Crowcroft
Zed Books

The specs

Engine: 2.2-litre, turbodiesel

Transmission: 6-speed auto

Power: 160hp

Torque: 385Nm

Price: Dh116,900

On sale: now

Important questions to consider

1. Where on the plane does my pet travel?

There are different types of travel available for pets:

  • Manifest cargo
  • Excess luggage in the hold
  • Excess luggage in the cabin

Each option is safe. The feasibility of each option is based on the size and breed of your pet, the airline they are traveling on and country they are travelling to.

 

2. What is the difference between my pet traveling as manifest cargo or as excess luggage?

If traveling as manifest cargo, your pet is traveling in the front hold of the plane and can travel with or without you being on the same plane. The cost of your pets travel is based on volumetric weight, in other words, the size of their travel crate.

If traveling as excess luggage, your pet will be in the rear hold of the plane and must be traveling under the ticket of a human passenger. The cost of your pets travel is based on the actual (combined) weight of your pet in their crate.

 

3. What happens when my pet arrives in the country they are traveling to?

As soon as the flight arrives, your pet will be taken from the plane straight to the airport terminal.

If your pet is traveling as excess luggage, they will taken to the oversized luggage area in the arrival hall. Once you clear passport control, you will be able to collect them at the same time as your normal luggage. As you exit the airport via the ‘something to declare’ customs channel you will be asked to present your pets travel paperwork to the customs official and / or the vet on duty. 

If your pet is traveling as manifest cargo, they will be taken to the Animal Reception Centre. There, their documentation will be reviewed by the staff of the ARC to ensure all is in order. At the same time, relevant customs formalities will be completed by staff based at the arriving airport. 

 

4. How long does the travel paperwork and other travel preparations take?

This depends entirely on the location that your pet is traveling to. Your pet relocation compnay will provide you with an accurate timeline of how long the relevant preparations will take and at what point in the process the various steps must be taken.

In some cases they can get your pet ‘travel ready’ in a few days. In others it can be up to six months or more.

 

5. What vaccinations does my pet need to travel?

Regardless of where your pet is traveling, they will need certain vaccinations. The exact vaccinations they need are entirely dependent on the location they are traveling to. The one vaccination that is mandatory for every country your pet may travel to is a rabies vaccination.

Other vaccinations may also be necessary. These will be advised to you as relevant. In every situation, it is essential to keep your vaccinations current and to not miss a due date, even by one day. To do so could severely hinder your pets travel plans.

Source: Pawsome Pets UAE

Kill%20
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How to get exposure to gold

Although you can buy gold easily on the Dubai markets, the problem with buying physical bars, coins or jewellery is that you then have storage, security and insurance issues.

A far easier option is to invest in a low-cost exchange traded fund (ETF) that invests in the precious metal instead, for example, ETFS Physical Gold (PHAU) and iShares Physical Gold (SGLN) both track physical gold. The VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF invests directly in mining companies.

Alternatively, BlackRock Gold & General seeks to achieve long-term capital growth primarily through an actively managed portfolio of gold mining, commodity and precious-metal related shares. Its largest portfolio holdings include gold miners Newcrest Mining, Barrick Gold Corp, Agnico Eagle Mines and the NewMont Goldcorp.

Brave investors could take on the added risk of buying individual gold mining stocks, many of which have performed wonderfully well lately.

London-listed Centamin is up more than 70 per cent in just three months, although in a sign of its volatility, it is down 5 per cent on two years ago. Trans-Siberian Gold, listed on London's alternative investment market (AIM) for small stocks, has seen its share price almost quadruple from 34p to 124p over the same period, but do not assume this kind of runaway growth can continue for long

However, buying individual equities like these is highly risky, as their share prices can crash just as quickly, which isn't what what you want from a supposedly safe haven.

Company profile

Name: Thndr

Started: October 2020

Founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: FinTech

Initial investment: pre-seed of $800,000

Funding stage: series A; $20 million

Investors: Tiger Global, Beco Capital, Prosus Ventures, Y Combinator, Global Ventures, Abdul Latif Jameel, Endure Capital, 4DX Ventures, Plus VC,  Rabacap and MSA Capital

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

The biog

Hometown: Cairo

Age: 37

Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror

Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing

Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition

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

LOVE%20AGAIN
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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

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