DUBAI // Umar Shah called in to work sick yesterday so he could watch the intense cricket match between India and his native Pakistan.
“When India and Pakistan play it’s pre-decided that I will not work,” said Mr Shah, who took time away from his job in the aviation sector to watch the game with friends at the Ramada Downtown Dubai.
“Nobody wants to miss out even a single ball. Whoever I know is not going to work,” he said.
“Any excuse will do: I am ill, my wife is sick, my child has to be admitted to hospital or I met with an accident.”
Mr Shah may have really been feeling a bit off-colour by the end of the game last night, as his country’s team was beaten by six wickets in the Asia Cup 2012 cricket tournament.
Those from the subcontinent who made it in to the office yesterday were glued to mobile phones, checking scores.
At home, housewives whipped up quick meals so they could tune in to the TV or radio, or log on to websites to catch the action.
Fans also packed into sports bars and clubs to see the teams compete in Dhaka, Bangladesh, a year after their face-off in the World Cup semi-final in Mohali, India, which was won by the host.
“I watched the match on television during my rest time for two hours in the afternoon,” said Aleem Khan, a Pakistani national who works as an assistant at East Asia Trading in Bur Dubai.
“Since I have a 3G connection on my mobile phone, I was able to catch the action even after I resumed work.”
Radha Javeri, an Indian housewife, said it was impossible to remain untouched by the cricket craze.
“I made lunch really quickly because we are only interested in the match, nothing else,” said Mrs Javeri, who watched the game at home with her family.
“We’re passionate about cricket. How can you not be when your country is playing?”
Trade was dull in Dubai’s normally bustling Meena Bazaar yesterday, and shops blamed the slowdown on the game.
“Business is very slow every time India and Pakistan play cricket,” said Salman Ali, a Pakistani trader at Dia Textiles. “Everybody wants to watch them play. People are not interested in shopping.”
Harish Amarnani, the chairman of Viva Fashion, said productivity was also affected at some companies.
“Business goes down at these times,” Mr Amarnani said. “People don’t work.”
But the Indian trader Manish Mulchandani said being a businessman at this time had its advantages.
“Business is business and I make sure that goes on, but I get to watch the game,” Mr Mulchandani said.
Many fans set their BlackBerry Messenger and Facebook status updates to reflect their state of mind during the game.
Mrs Javeri tagged a blue India logo on Facebook with the words, “C’mon India”.
This replaced her status update from last week, which bore the initials of India’s star batsman, Sachin Tendulkar, acknowledging his record of 100 centuries (100 or more runs in a single innings) in international cricket.
The games also have a strong following among children.
Sahil Parin Rathore, 6, said he was a big fan of the Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
“I plan to see the entire match,” said the Grade 1 pupil at the Indian High School, who watched the game at his grandparents’ home.
Sahil said he had also watched the weekend match between India and Bangladesh, where his team suffered a humiliating defeat.
More than 500 people gathered to catch the game on big TV screens at a sports lounge in Ramee Hotel near Dubai’s Maktoum Bridge, while more than 1,000 watched the game in the food court at Lamcy Plaza.
“There is a craze about India and Pakistan games,” said Renjith Nair, the public relations manager at Ramee Hotel.
“Everyone has eagerly waited for this game.
“When there are large crowds, people feel they are at home actually cheering for their side.”
The staff wore Indian and Pakistani cricket T-shirts and placed flags of both countries around the sports club.
But one fan said the excitement this year did not compare to the play-off between the teams in March last year. India won that semi-final 260 to 231.
“The hype is a lot less than what it was during the World Cup last year,” said Rajni Ravi, a senior finance manager with a property group, who rarely misses an India match.
“I was following the scores online but I am resigned to the fact that India may not win the tournament.”
pkannan@thenational.ae
rtalwar@thenational.ae
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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
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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
WHY%20AAYAN%20IS%20'PERFECT%20EXAMPLE'
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Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The bio
Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district
Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school
Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family
His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people
Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned
Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
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.
SPECS
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
The specs: 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk
Price, base: Dh399,999
Engine: Supercharged 6.2-litre V8
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 707hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 875Nm @ 4,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 16.8L / 100km (estimate)
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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
THE BIO
Age: 33
Favourite quote: “If you’re going through hell, keep going” Winston Churchill
Favourite breed of dog: All of them. I can’t possibly pick a favourite.
Favourite place in the UAE: The Stray Dogs Centre in Umm Al Quwain. It sounds predictable, but it honestly is my favourite place to spend time. Surrounded by hundreds of dogs that love you - what could possibly be better than that?
Favourite colour: All the colours that dogs come in
QUALIFYING RESULTS
1. Max Verstappen, Netherlands, Red Bull Racing Honda, 1 minute, 35.246 seconds.
2. Valtteri Bottas, Finland, Mercedes, 1:35.271.
3. Lewis Hamilton, Great Britain, Mercedes, 1:35.332.
4. Lando Norris, Great Britain, McLaren Renault, 1:35.497.
5. Alexander Albon, Thailand, Red Bull Racing Honda, 1:35.571.
6. Carlos Sainz Jr, Spain, McLaren Renault, 1:35.815.
7. Daniil Kvyat, Russia, Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda, 1:35.963.
8. Lance Stroll, Canada, Racing Point BWT Mercedes, 1:36.046.
9. Charles Leclerc, Monaco, Ferrari, 1:36.065.
10. Pierre Gasly, France, Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda, 1:36.242.
Eliminated after second session
11. Esteban Ocon, France, Renault, 1:36.359.
12. Daniel Ricciardo, Australia, Renault, 1:36.406.
13. Sebastian Vettel, Germany, Ferrari, 1:36.631.
14. Antonio Giovinazzi, Italy, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:38.248.
Eliminated after first session
15. Antonio Giovinazzi, Italy, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:37.075.
16. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:37.555.
17. Kevin Magnussen, Denmark, Haas Ferrari, 1:37.863.
18. George Russell, Great Britain, Williams Mercedes, 1:38.045.
19. Pietro Fittipaldi, Brazil, Haas Ferrari, 1:38.173.
20. Nicholas Latifi, Canada, Williams Mercedes, 1:38.443.
Profile box
Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
