While the batsmen Mohammed Iqbal and Amjad Javed have hogged the attention at the start of the ACC Twenty20 via their feats of monstrous hits, the UAE have also been able to quietly toast the emergence of a new seam-bowling talent.
Moiz Shahid has enjoyed a remarkable rise in the game over the past two months. So far off the radar was he back then, the Sharjah youngster was not even part of the original extended squad of 24 probables named ahead of the tournament.
However, an impressive return during Ramadan earned him a recommendation to the selectors, and he sealed his place via a trial game against Abu Dhabi Gymkhana.
He will lead the attack when the UAE go in search of their fourth successive victory against China at Zayed Stadium this morning, buoyed by figures of two wickets for three runs from three overs last time out.
The UAE coach, Colin Wells, is happy with his new find.
He said of the left-arm pace bowler: "He swings it back to the right-hander, and provides good variation for the squad. He is a very good listener and a quick learner."
Hefty wins against inferior opposition may not provide much of a gauge of the national team's form as the tournament reaches the business end, but their confidence will have been boosted by their 27-run triumph over Hong Kong on Tuesday.
Hong Kong are the holders of the 50-over version of the Trophy, having beaten the Emirates in the final in Kuala Lumpur last summer.
Their recent form has been strong, too. Only last month, they beat an England side which included the likes of Chris Read and Graham Napier on their way to reaching the final of the Hong Kong Sixes.
Wells added: "I hadn't seen Hong Kong before but they came with a bit of a reputation.
"We didn't play as well or score as many runs as we would have liked, so we put the bowlers and fielders under pressure.
"They responded very well. We needed to be tested and, although the tests came of our faults, it may be that another time a side could play very well and could bowl us out rather than we get ourselves out."
Today's opposition, China, are cricketing novices who have struggled to adapt after accepting an invitation to play at this level for the first time.
And Wells, the former England one-day player, is expecting his side to send out another indication of their title credentials.
"We are looking to inflict a heavy defeat upon them and, with all due respect to the other teams in the competition, it appears that ourselves and Afghanistan will be seeded favourites at the moment," added the coach.
@Email:pradley@thenational.ae
UAE v China, 10am, Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
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Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
T10 Cricket League
Sharjah Cricket Stadium
December 14- 17
6pm, Opening ceremony, followed by:
Bengal Tigers v Kerala Kings
Maratha Arabians v Pakhtoons
Tickets available online at q-tickets.com/t10
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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.
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Tips for taking the metro
- set out well ahead of time
- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines
- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on
- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers
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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
Keane on …
Liverpool’s Uefa Champions League bid: “They’re great. With the attacking force they have, for me, they’re certainly one of the favourites. You look at the teams left in it - they’re capable of scoring against anybody at any given time. Defensively they’ve been good, so I don’t see any reason why they couldn’t go on and win it.”
Mohamed Salah’s debut campaign at Anfield: “Unbelievable. He’s been phenomenal. You can name the front three, but for him on a personal level, he’s been unreal. He’s been great to watch and hopefully he can continue now until the end of the season - which I’m sure he will, because he’s been in fine form. He’s been incredible this season.”
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s instant impact at former club LA Galaxy: “Brilliant. It’s been a great start for him and for the club. They were crying out for another big name there. They were lacking that, for the prestige of LA Galaxy. And now they have one of the finest stars. I hope they can go win something this year.”
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5