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  By K.R. Nayar The day after the Afghanistan-Pakistan clash was calm for the England-Australia encounter. Unlike the traffic jams that was seen for the game between the Asian neigbours, today all roads leading towards the Dubai International stadium were deserted.  This story was published in The Telegraph, India  Calm after the storm A security at the stadium entrance of the Dubai International Cricket Stadium commented that it seems like a war has ended after the Pakistan-Afghanistan match. Fans of the Afghanistan team had tried to climb over the fence railings and break in without tickets, giving a tough time for the security around. Most of the security men here work as bouncers but it seemed like they had not handled a mob before. For the match between Australia and England, fans were seen entering in an orderly manner. In fact, not many waited till the end of the match. The next day being Sunday, the first working day of the week here, people were eager to get home early.   

By K.R Nayar Pakistan fans from Peshawar wear the same attire as that of the Afghans. They also speak Pashto, the language spoken commonly in Afghanistan. An Indian fan said that he was always careful when expressing his support for the Pakistan team to any Pathan since he could be an Afghani This story was published in The Telegraph, India  Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi plays in the UAE’s domestic cricket tournament as a guest player for many clubs. He also plays in the Abu Dhabi T10 with his teammates Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rehman. All three of them are fans of a Dubai based Indian poet Aman Haider. During break days from the match here, they visit Haider to listen to his poetry in Urdu and Hindi. This poet also speaks Pashto. In fact, Nabi has taught him how to greet Afghanistan cricketers in Pashto by saying 'Sange Jodee' (How are you all?). Mohammad Nabi with Indian poet Aman Haider When Naib and Nabi were at the wicket The fall of the sixth Afghanistan wicket saw

By K.R. Nayar Bahrain, a small country in the Gulf region, has risen to qualify for the 2022 T20 World Cup Global Qualifiers to be held in Australia in November next year.  It has been a remarkable journey for this team which has hardly any facilities and not even a turf wicket in their country. They have reached the big stage through sheer enthusiasm of the players and the passionate support of the newly appointed Bahrain Cricket Federation The victorious Bahrain team with the trophy Bahrain topped the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier Asia A beating hosts Qatar, Maldives and Saudi Arabia. Incidentally, teams from Bahrain and their players have been playing in the UAE’s domestic cricket tournaments as well as training at venues here to gain experience of playing on turf wickets. Many budding cricketers have enrolled with cricket academies here to sharpen their game. They have made the first impact by topping a T20 World Cup Qualifier. In the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier Asia

  By K.R. Nayar Dubai. During the post-match press conference, Australian opener David Warner was asked whether he has silenced his critics following his match-winning knock of 65 against Sri Lanka at the Dubai International Stadium on Thursday night. His reply was: “ No, never. That's the world of sport. When you ride the highs you've got to ride the lows; you've got to stay confident, keep a smile on your face and never let it get to you.” David Warner (right) with Steve Smith celebrate their win. Photo: ICC This is a statement for every cricketer and every team too.  Australia’s seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka was carved out of Warner’s knock of 65. Warner’s knock is a warning for all the other teams in this World Cup. Australia, who were not considered strong enough to win this T20 World Cup, is now being talked about as a strong favourite to lift the trophy. In the recent Indian Premier League held in the UAE, Sunrisers Hyderabad team had hurt Warner by stripping

  By K.R. Nayar Dubai. Sri Lankans in the UAE enjoy their cricket. Win or lose, they love to sing and dance and cheer for their team. Whenever the giant scoreboard displayed the words ‘Live the game, Love the game’ backed by drum beats, they danced waving their national flag.   This story was published in The Telegraph, India  The majority of the Sri Lankans here play the game regularly. They represent various teams in domestic cricket tournaments. In fact, one of the leading cricket academies in the UAE called Desert Cubs is run by Sri Lankans. Lanka Lions Cricket Club was once the strongest team in domestic cricket. The Sri Lankan national team is called the 'Lions' and they take great pride in that nickname for their team. Most Sri Lankan players mix freely with the Indians and Pakistanis here. Though they have been a strong team in the past, there was never any rivalry with their Asian neighbours. They address everyone as  Machaa , slang for Buddy. Many of the Tamil-speak

By K.R. Nayar Abu Dhabi. Bangladesh's performance so far in the World Cup has been disappointing for their fans. A few Pakistan fans were quick to point out that the Bangladesh team, popularly known as Tigers, are a toothless Tiger this time.    This story was published in The Telegraph, India   A Bangladesh fan Rashed Chowdhury, who lives in Dubai, purchased his ticket online and drove all the way to Abu Dhabi to watch his team play. There are many Bangladeshi expatriates in the UAE but not many of them play in domestic cricket here. However, they do turn up in large numbers to cheer their team in international matches, and also talk authoritatively about the game. There have been many attempts to organize tournaments between Pakistan expatriates and Bangladesh expatriates, but they have not been successful. Pakistan have many of their former first class cricketers playing here but there are virtually no top cricketers from Bangladesh here. It was only when the Abu Dhabi T10 t

  By K.R. Nayar Sharjah. Pakistan fans made it look like they had captured the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. They had crowded at all entrances to the stadium waving their national flag. Chants of 'Pakistan jeethega' (Pakistan will win) began well before the match started. This story was published in The Telegraph, India  Pakistan team’s emphatic win over India is likely to have attracted many of them who had no plans of watching this World Cup. As a result, nearly 10,000 tickets got sold out, and the sale had increased after their team’s win over India. Sharjah Cricket Stadium officials opened ticket booths near the stadium too. Earlier, when the tournament commenced, tickets were available only online.  Sharjah and Afridi Sharjah cricket fans adore the name Afridi. In the earlier years, most Pakistanis would come to watch matches here mainly to see Shahid Afridi in action. In the late eighties and nineties, the majority of the taxi drivers in Sharjah were Pakistanis.  So when

By K.R. Nayar Blessy Rivin is the scorer at the Abu Dhabi Zayed Cricket Stadium for the ICC T20 World Cup. In the UAE, where women haven’t taken up scoring yet, her enthusiasm and passion for this can pave the way for more women scorers. It’s time women in the UAE too take up scoring. Blessy Rivin scoring from the Abu Dhabi Zayed Cricket Stadium press box Women’s cricket has been gaining momentum in the UAE.  Cricket is no longer considered a man's sport here and the UAE women’s team now regularly plays in international cricket. As a result, a few women have also qualified as umpires. But women as scorers in the UAE was missing. Blessy's T20 World Cup accreditation card as scorer  It was a pleasant surprise to meet Blessy Rivin, who is one of the scorers in the press box at the Abu Dhabi Zayed Cricket Stadium for the ICC T20 World Cup. Watching her go about her task, she seemed to be enjoying every moment of it.  Armed with a bunch of colour pencils, it was interesting to see

By K.R. Nayar Sharjah.   Afghanistan cricket and its cricketers have a deep attachment towards the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.  Match winner Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Photo: ICC  In 2010, Abdulrehman Bukhatir, who brought international cricket to Sharjah by building the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the eighties, opened the gates of this stadium free for the Afghanistan team to train. Bukhatir then said: “ Bearing in mind the difficulties they have in Afghanistan, these cricketers deserve to have a place somewhere where they can come and feel that they are at home. Here they have huge local support and they can make full use of all facilities at the Sharjah stadium, including the gymnasium and nets.” Former Pakistan cricketer Kabir Khan, who was then the coach of the Afghanistan team, was so touched by Bukhatir’s gesture, had said that nobody had given them such an offer in eight years. The team went on to utilize all the facilities and soon created waves in international cricket. Afghan fans an

By K.R. Nayar Dubai.   Questions are plenty after favourites India got a ten-wicket drubbing at the hands of Pakistan. Indian fans had turned out in large numbers at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday night hoping to celebrate yet another victory over Pakistan.  This column was published in News Trail, a newly published daily  from Bangalore  India has never lost to Pakistan in a World Cup match.  In fact, many Pakistan fans here had admitted that the Indian batting was too strong for their team. So, at the end of the match when the giant scoreboard flashed ‘Pakistan win by 10 wickets’ it was unbelievable. Many would have thought it should have been the other way round and a few may have even pinched themselves wondering whether it was a bad dream. While speaking to former Indian skipper Dilip Vengsarkar, who has played many splendid knocks against Pakistan in Sharjah, about India’s chances on the eve of the match, he'd said: “India is a very strong side when compared to

  By K.R. Nayar Dubai.  The scenes, both, on and off the field during an India-Pakistan match are unique. Even walking into an India-Pakistan match is different from other matches. As one walked into the Dubai International Stadium, there were thousands of fans from both teams waving their country's flags on the road and cheering for their team.  Read on... This story published in The Telegraph, India Be afraid of Afridi After Shaheen Afridi trapped Rohit Sharma leg before and also clean bowled K L Rahul, fans waved a banner “Be Afraid of Afridi.”  A few from the crowd shouted ‘Fire Afridi, fire’.  The two quick wickets silenced almost all Indian supporters while the Pakistan fans danced in joy.  Afridi has a special connection with the UAE. He made his Test and One Day International debut from Abu Dhabi in 2018. He has also produced some great spells when the Pakistan Super League was held here. When India’s Suryakumar Yadav, who is addressed as SKY, got out in the sixth over, a