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Showing posts from May, 2021

Pakistan cricketers’ fondness for Abu Dhabi and their confidence to give their best during the coming PSL matches

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  By K.R. Nayar Many Pakistan cricketers have made their international cricket debut in the UAE, and some have done it in Abu Dhabi. They are familiar with the conditions in this emirate having played many international matches as well as the Pakistan Super League (PSL) over the years. Some of the leading cricketers discuss how to win matches in Abu Dhabi. Fakhar Zaman Pakistan Super League’s remaining 20 matches will be held at the Abu Dhabi Zayed Cricket Stadium during the coming days. It’s a venue loved by Pakistan cricketers as many have made their international debut here and some have also played many PSL matches here. Being able to play on pitches familiar to players outside their own country is indeed a blessing. Pakistan cricketers like it in the UAE since it has been their home for international matches for many years. Many of them have set their best records here. Fakhar Zaman, one of Pakistan’s finest batsman who plays for Lahore Qalandars, made his Test debut in Octobe

UAE set to become the busiest cricket centre for the world’s top franchise leagues as they gear up to host the IPL, PSL, and three more leagues

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  By K.R. Nayar The UAE will further stamp its authority as the world’s finest cricketing hub by becoming the most suitable venue for top franchise leagues around the world. Before hosting the Indian Premier League (IPL) in September-October this year, UAE is all set to host the Pakistan Super League (PSL) from June first week and is likely to stage the Afghanistan Premier League and Global T20 Canada League in addition to the scheduled Abu Dhabi T10 League. UAE will once again prove that it is the most suitable cricket centre not only for the Indian Premier League (IPL) but for all the leading franchise leagues in the world today. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced that the remaining matches of the 2021 edition of the IPL, which was being held in India and had to be stopped due to escalation of the Covid 19 pandemic, will now be held in between September and October this year. Prior to hosting the IPL, Abu Dhabi will be staging the Pakistan Super League (

It's not worth carrying anxiety as our companion in our life’s journey

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By K.R. Nayar Many people are said to be suffering from extreme anxiety these days due to the current scenario all around the world. How do we ensure that this anxiety does not engulf us?  I believe anxiety can be conquered by using our intelligence. Let us tell ourselves that we are capable of conquering anxiety and that we will be able to do it. I have heard from many people that they go through extreme bouts of anxiety these days, and a lot of this can be attributed to the prevailing scenario all around the world. The strange thing about this issue is that almost everyone who suffers from anxiety also knows that it does no good to our health. Yet most of us are unable to control it. So is there any escape from this? Experts have suggested numerous techniques to manage and control anxiety. One of the most common solutions is by maintaining a daily exercise routine that will help strengthen us physically. and in turn, give us good sleep. Some suggest meditation for a short while e

G Force Cricket Academy lifts GCC Under-14 and Under-16 titles as Bahrain return richer with experience on turf wickets

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 By K.R. Nayar G Force Cricket Academy emerged GCC Cup champions as Bahrain plans to capitalize on their first experience and return stronger for more matches during winter.  Bahrain’s High Performance Cricket Academy (HPCA) plans to capitalize on the exposure to shape their talented budding cricketers. The victorious G Force Cricket Academy team G Force Cricket Academy swept the Under-14 and Under 16 titles in the first edition of the GCC Cup held at the Vision Cricket Ground in Sharjah this weekend.  HPCA Cricket Academy and Noor Sports Cricket Academy from Bahrain and G Force Gladiators and G Force Strikers took part in this league cum knock-out tournament. G Force Strikers defeated HPCA Bahrain by 108 runs in the Under-16 final that was witnessed by former Pakistan cricketer and ICC Development Officer Iqbal Sikander. In the Under-14 final, G Force Gladiators defeated Noor Sports Bahrain by 24 runs in a low-scoring encounter. Gopal Jasapara, Head Coach of the G Force Cricket Ac

Legendary cricketers Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Clive Lloyd hail Channel 2 Group’s launch of Middle East’s first sports FM station - TALK 100.3

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By K.R. Nayar Dubai based Channel 2 Group, which holds multiple audio rights of cricket tournaments, including IPL and ICC T20 World Cup events, will partner with Fun Asia Network (FAN) to launch a sports and business radio station. Through this new venture, Ajay Sethi, Chairman and MD Channel 2 Group Corporation, hopes to create new milestones in broadcasting. Ajay Sethi From June 13 th  2021, sports enthusiasts will be in for a treat. Ajay Sethi, Chairman and MD Channel 2 Group Corporation that has catered to the enthusiasm of sports lovers over the years by bringing live coverage of many events, hopes to take a new leap in sports broadcasting. Using his decades of experience in sports broadcasting, Sethi’s Channel 2 Group Corporation will partner with Fun Asia Network and launch Talk 100.3 FM, a sports and business radio station. This is set to create waves by becoming UAE’s only South Asian sport and business radio station. Channel 2 Group is already the exclusive Global Audio

Performance in the Abu Dhabi T10 League lifts UAE cricketers into the Pakistan Super League

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  By K.R. Nayar Hard hitter Waseem Muhammad has been picked for Multan Sultans while left-arm spinner Sultan Ahmed has been included in the Lahore Qalandars team. Waseem caught the attention of the cricket fraternity while playing for Northern Warriors in the fourth Abu Dhabi T10 while Sultan bowled brilliantly for Qalandars in the event. They carried their form into the Emirates D10 tournament too. Sultan Ahmed  The Abu Dhabi T10 League has lifted UAE cricketers into the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The sixth edition of the PSL that will be held in the UAE in the first week of June is likely to include at least four UAE players who sparkled in the fourth edition of the Alubond Abu Dhabi T10 League. The six representatives of the PSL teams who met on Saturday picked 12 new players for the PSL, and that includes UAE’s hard-hitting opener Waseem and left-arm spinner Sultan Ahmed.   Waseem Muhammad caught the attention of international cricketers and legends of the game through his whi

Under-14 and Under-16 cricket is a must to produce future stars: Iqbal Sikander

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By K.R. Nayar International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Development Officer and former Pakistan cricketer Iqbal Sikander shares his views on grooming young cricketers.  While watching the GCC Cup for Under-14 and Under-16 cricketers organised by G Force Cricket Academy, he said that the nursery of cricket lies in the schools. Iqbal Sikander  Former Pakistan allrounder Iqbal Sikander, who is currently the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Development officer, believes that Under-14 and Under-16 cricket is the base for producing future cricketers. Speaking to  krbuzz.blogspot.com    during the GCC Cup tournament for Under-14 and Under-16 budding cricketers organised by G Force Cricket Academy at the Vision Cricket Ground in Sharjah,  Sikander said: “I believe that Under 14 and Under 16 tournaments are the basics of future cricketers. So, this (tournament) for me as the ICC Development Officer, is the most important age group and most important area from where we can develop and produc

Managing protests from an overused and hot-tempered microwave

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  By K.R. Nayar Our five-year-old microwave stopped working recently claiming overuse. It shocked me with its grievances, one of them being using it relentlessly since I have been working from home now. I had to come to an understanding with it that I will not slap it even if it gets old. Many of our gadgets at home have started to protest. Believe it or not, they are now speaking to me too! It may be because I spend more time at home these days than I would before. The first one to protest was my five-year-old microwave. It simply stopped heating food that was taken out from the fridge for warming.  Out of frustration, when I slapped it on the side hoping to get any loose connection sorted, it started working again! After that, I heard a voice telling me, “Why are you slapping me unnecessarily? You have pushed me to the limit by making me work constantly and now you are slapping me too? Unlike in the past, you are at now home all the time and heating things at least six times in an ho

G Force Cricket Academy stages GCC Cup for Under 14 and Under 16 budding cricketers

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By K.R. Nayar  The GCC Cup will be played by the  UAE-based G Force Gladiators and G Force Strikers teams  together with the HPCA Cricket Academy and Noor Sports Cricket Academy from Bahrain in both age categories. This tournament is being held at the Vision Cricket Ground in Sharjah and is proposed to be a regular annual event from this year  The High Performance team from Bahrain G Force Cricket Academy, one of the leading and oldest cricket academies in the UAE, is hosting the GCC Cricket Cup for the Under 14 and Under 16 teams with an objective to provide continued exposure to budding cricketers. This academy, which has over the years introduced many innovative tournaments to promote match-playing skills and boosted the potential in many budding cricketers in the UAE, is spreading its wings to lift talent among the GCC countries too.   Four teams, including two from Bahrain, are taking part in this 30-overs-a-side event which has commenced at the Vision Cricket Ground in Sharjah.

Mulk Health Care rises to the Covid-19 pandemic crisis call

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  By K.R. Nayar Dr. Shafi Ul Mulk, President of Mulk Health Care, has on numerous occasions lifted people from distress. During the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic he provided ventilators and oxygen concentrators for the needy in India as part of Mulk Health Care’s CSR initiatives. When Kerala was devastated by floods in 2018, this co-owner of Kerala Kings cricket team that lifted the first T10 League title had rushed basic amenities to the needy in the flood-affected state.  Dr. Shafi Ul Mulk, President of Mulk Health Care and the co-owner of the Kerala Kings cricket team that became the first champions of the T10 League in 2017, has never hesitated in stepping forward to back people in distress. When floods created havoc in Kerala, he stepped forward to hurry basic amenities to this state. Now when India has been severely hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, he did the same not only for Kerala but to different parts of India by supplying ventilators and oxygen concentrators. Dr. Shafi does it a

Meet the man who constantly made mistakes and enjoyed repeating them

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By K.R. Nayar Anyone who met him may have regretted ever meeting him. He stunned people by telling them that if they believe he has committed a mistake then they are mistaken. It seemed like he believed that mistakes were waiting to be tried out and it was his duty to test them!! I never believed there would be a man who dabbled in making mistakes. He is someone who has gained a lot despite committing mistakes and could be considered a master in making mistakes. Despite the fact that some of his mistakes were very alarming, never did he consider that it was a mistake!. I happened to meet this person one day and soon realized it was my big mistake. Actually, we met by accident as he mistook me for someone else. After that, strangely we kept meeting often. And since he was still working for someone and rising up the ladder despite his reputation, he believed that was the way to go to succeed in life. He often forwarded me messages that were not meant for me. And then that message woul

Let us all try and be tough during these tough times

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By K.R. Nayar It’s a tough time for everyone especially those in India where the second wave of Covid-19 has hit the entire country. This is the time to be mentally strong and handle situations bravely. How can one try to be strong and surmount this situation? While it has been a tough time for the whole world since 2020, India has been going through a tougher time this year. A message from a friend said that he never ever thought that in his life-time he would ever witness such suffering. Almost every family has been hit by Covid-19, many losing their loved ones. It is during such times that we all need to be tougher.  The stronger we are mentally, the better we will be able to withstand the impact of this virus. I now often recall the saying, cliched as it may sound, 'when the going gets tough, the tough get going.' While it is very easy to forward this on our Whats App groups, especially to our friends who have tested positive, how can one really be tough and strongly counte

Bowlers with dream spells of ten wickets and giving away no run!

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 By K.R. Nayar It is nearly impossible to believe that there are 26 bowlers in the world who have bagged 10 wickets and not given away a single run!  The first recorded instance was in 1867 in England, and thereafter it happened in Australia and South Africa. In 1996, a 15-year-old schoolgirl in Australia achieved this feat, and then in 2017, a 15-year-old boy did it in a Twenty20 match in Jaipur, India.  Before the start of every match, all bowlers dream of producing a deadly spell. Some bowlers, just to boost themselves up, may also tell themselves that they will produce a deadly five-wicket spell.  While this may sometimes turn into a reality, there can be occasions when he or she may end up getting thrashed for a lot of runs. That is cricket! In cricket, sometimes even an ordinary bowler can go on to produce a deadly spell. But what can be even more surprising is that there are bowlers who have taken 10 wickets without conceding a single run.  Many believe that one can only dream