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By K.R. Nayar   The tale of Imtiaz Ahmed from Uttar Pradesh (India) and UAE's Sultan Ahmed, both of whom picked the wicket of the legendary Chris Gayle in the ongoing Alubond Abu Dhabi T10 tournament, is one of grit and resolve. It was an apt reward for these two bowlers who have consistently worked hard over the years facing many challenges Imtiaz Ahmed Hard work with determination is always rewarded. Two cricketers Imtiaz Ahmed and Sultan Ahmed playing in the Abu Dhabi T10 realised it when they picked the prize wicket of Chris Gayle in the ongoing Alubond Abu Dhabi T10 tournament. To dismiss Gayle, the greatest batsman in limited over cricket, is an honour they will cherish forever. Imtiaz Ahmed hails from India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh. Opening the bowling for Deccan Gladiators against Team Abu Dhabi, he clean bowled Gayle with an accurate yorker. It was a reward for this thirty-five-year-old medium pacer’s years of hard work which often went unnoticed. So thrilled wa...

  By K.R. Nayar Zahoor Khan and Abdul Shakoor hogged the limelight and bagged the man of the match awards in matches contested by the legends of the game.  If not for the opportunity they've got through the Abu Dhabi T10, many of the legendary cricketers who are playing with these UAE cricketers may never know who they are and whether they are capable of winning matches  Zahoor Khan Four years ago, before the start of the first edition of the T10 tournament, Shaji Ul Mulk, whom I had interacted with during his playing days in UAE domestic cricket and as head of the Ajman Cricket Council and Emirates Cricket Board member, had mentioned to me that he had big news, which would create a flutter in cricket. During the interview that followed, Shaji Ul Mulk revealed his plans of staging a 10-over format international tournament. As soon as this interview appeared in the Gulf News, not many took it seriously and considered it to be a tournament that may just be a festival...

By K.R. Nayar Three cricketers made the opening day of the fourth edition of Abu Dhabi T10 a very special one. The tournament once again got off to a promising start with unexpected turns and twists witnessed within the 10 overs Abdul Shakoor  Can there be a better start for the fourth edition of the Abu Dhabi T10 tournament? The hero of the first match was a star in UAE domestic cricket that sparkled amidst renowned international cricketers. Abdul Shakoor, who through his tall scores in domestic cricket had clinched a place in the UAE national team, was the match-winner in the first match through a whirlwind 73 off 28 balls studded with five sixes and seven boundaries to guide Maratha Arabians to a five-wicket win over Northern Warriors. Shakoor reached his half-century in just 14 balls thrashing South African pacer Wayne Parnell for 18 runs in an over and Pakistan’s Wahab Riaz for 23 runs in another over. Shakoor had earlier played as captain for the Alubond Tigers team that w...

 By K.R. Nayar C hris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Johnson Charles, and Dwayne Bravo, who are among the best in limited over cricket and have time and again won matches for their teams through their stupendous performances, are here. They revealed their plans for the fourth edition of the Abu Dhabi T10 set to commence from Thursday at the Zayed Cricket Stadium. Chris Gayle   Starting from Chris Gayle, the biggest six-hitter in limited over cricket, Kieron Pollard, the world’s most aggressive and sought after allrounder, belligerent opener and wicket-keeper Johnson Charles, and match-winner Dwayne Bravo, all of them spoke about how they plan to beat their opponents in the Abu Dhabi T10 starting on Thursday, January 28, 2021. Gayle, who enthralled everybody during the recent Indian Premier League (IPL), is here to win matches for Team Abu Dhabi and is aiming high to hit sixes at the Abu Dhabi Zayed Cricket Stadium. Candidly admitting that his plan would be to hit those shots over th...

By K.R. Nayar   Sri Lanka’s Thilina Kandamby has been appointed as coach of the Bangla Tigers team for the oncoming Abu Dhabi T10. With numerous achievements in the shorter format of the game, he could well be the ideal coach for the Bangla Tigers to emerge as winners of this tournament. At 38, he is one of the youngest coaches given that Kandamby was playing international cricket till six years ago Thilina Kandamby In the modern world of cricket where matches are held almost every day, many special performances go unnoticed. Very often it is the performance by superstars alone that remains etched in our memories. Sri Lanka's Thilina Kandamby is a specialist in limited-overs cricket who was involved in creating a special moment in the history of the game although it did not receive huge prominence. In 2004, while playing in a match against Zimbabwe A, Kandamby scored 52 only through shots to boundaries and over it. He hit 10 boundaries and two sixes. This was the first instance i...

  By K.R. Nayar The Bukhatir League is nearing its half century. It has earned a special place in world cricket, but the significance of this event has yet not been appreciated. The fact that the event has been held in a non-Test playing country for so long makes it an event that deserves mention in the records of cricket history books and hailed as a major sporting achievement The Sharjah Cricket Council is set to stage the 46th edition of the Bukhatir League at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium from February 5, 2021.  I have had the honour of having reported this tournament continuously from its 18th edition and consider it important that the significance of this event is brought to the fore.  This league is not just one among the many cricket tournaments that are held around the world. To stage a tournament consistently for close to nearly half of a century itself makes it one of the elite tournaments in the world. Those who have played in it can proudly say that they ha...

By K.R. Nayar Mudassar Nazar, with his immense knowledge of the game as an outstanding allrounder and a renowned coach, will oversee the technical aspects of the Abu Dhabi T10 as its Technical Director. This legend who has contributed to the game in various roles can boost the smooth conduct of this tournament commencing from January 28. Mudassar Nazar  Pakistan’s legendary cricketer and renowned coach Mudassar Nazar who earned the title ‘cricketer with the golden arm’ will give touches to the fourth edition of the Abu Dhabi T10 as its Technical Director. He carries with him enormous experience as an outstanding top-order batsman as well as a bowler who knew how to unsettle any batsman. After his cricketing days, he took to coaching and groomed many youngsters not only in Pakistan but in other parts of the world too. This legendary cricketer, son of the Pakistan great Nazar Mohammad, has seen cricket from a very young age and is well aware of the various aspects of the game ...

By K.R. Nayar The Indian team made up of six cricketers who haven’t played over three Test matches proved that determination to overcome the  humiliation of getting bowled out for 36 has no boundaries. Even an opponent with most of their players carrying an experience of over 50 Tests could be conquered to win a series The triumphant Indian team with the Border-Gavaskar trophy  India's unbelievable win over Australia at the Gabba to clinch the series 2-1 is an inspiring tale that can be narrated as an instance of a team fighting against all odds to emerge triumphantly. A big salute to each one of the players with a message that they have become the heroes of Indian cricket forever. They deserve a place in every cricket lover's memory just like people remember the heroes who won India the 1983 World Cup. To rise from a 36 all out and a humiliating eight-wicket defeat in the first Test at Adelaide and then overpower those who humiliated them is nothing but one of the finest co...

  By K.R. Nayar Simi Singh from Punjab (India) not only destroyed UAE’s batting with a deadly five wicket spell but also cracked an unbeaten half century to help Ireland win the fourth ODI and draw the series 1-1 Off spinner Simi Singh in action against the UAE  Simi Singh, hailing from Bathalana, a small village in Punjab, (India), representing Ireland, destroyed UAE hopes of winning a One Day International series at the Abu Dhabi Zayed Cricket Stadium.  Singh produced a spectacular allround performance in the fourth and final match of the One Day International series on Monday.  UAE had won the first match of this series, but the next two matches from this series had to cancelled owing to three players from the host team being tested positive for Coronavirus. Singh cracked an unbeaten 54 to help Ireland post a challenging 228 for 6, and he then bowled out UAE for 116 runs with a dream spell of ten overs, four maiden, ten runs and five wickets.   Singh w...

By K.R. Nayar It was a special week for Kerala cricket and its cricketers. A team that was once considered weak and has struggled to make a mark in the Indian cricket map, defeated giant teams like Mumbai and Delhi in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. It was a dream come true for many past players who continued playing despite facing humiliating defeats and motivated youngsters to take up the game Kerala team gearing up during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy   It was a special day in the history of Indian cricket when the Kerala cricket team beat Mumbai and Delhi, the giants of Indian cricket, in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq  Ali Trophy tournament. Whether Kerala goes on to win this trophy or not, this achievement by them will stand out as a golden moment in their cricket history. Many would have considered this as a joke if the achievement of this kind was mentioned as one of Kerala cricket’s goal 15 years ago.  The enormity of this team’s achievement can be compreh...