UAE
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council in 1989 and an associate member in 1990.
The UAE won the Asian Cricket Council’s ACC Trophy on four consecutive occasions between 2000 and 2006 and were runners-up on the other three times the tournament was played in 1996, 1998 and 2008. It won the ICC Trophy in 1994.
The UAE played its first ODI in 1994 and qualified for the 1996 Cricket World, but it was their solid showing at the 2015 Cricket World Cup that put the firmly on the map. Although they finished bottom of Pool B they competed well against the big boys. Shaiman Anwar’s outstanding performance with the bat saw him hold the ‘Top Run Scorer’ spot for a long period.
Despite failing to qualify for the 2016 ICC World T20 competition cricket in the UAE is getting stronger year-on-year. The country has ODI status through to at least 2018.
Key Players:
Ahmed Raza
UAE Captain
The 27-year-old captain of the UAE is a slow-left-arm bowler who was born in the cricket hotbed of Sharjah. He’s played 6 ODIs and 4 T20Is for his country after making his international debut in 2014. In the 2009 ACC Twenty20 Cup, Raza was the UAE’s joint leading wicket taker with twelve wickets along with Moiz Shahid.
Shaiman Anwar
UAE Batsman
Anwar’s name is forever famous as the first UAE player to score a World Cup hundred. For a few days at the end of February 2015 he was one of the most talked about cricketers in the world. The batsman nicknamed ‘Sir Viv’ in the UAE dressing room was the highest scorer at the midpoint of the ICC World Cup and his 106 in a thrilling defeat to Ireland was top drawer. He added 62 against Pakistan to end the tournament with 311 runs at 51.83. His hero was Rahul Dravid, but he’s more expanive and known in the UAE as a six-hitter. On his day he is brutal and boasts a first-class and List A ton to go alongside his World Cup century.
Born in Sialkot he played domestic cricket in Pakistan before accepting an offer to play club cricket in the UAE. He works for and plays cricket for Consolidated Shipping Services.
Mohammad Naveed
UAE Bowler
Naveed cannot be accused of not giving cricket his all. As a youngster he commuted the six-hour journey from Ras Al Kaimah to Dubai and back for net practice. As a pace bowler he toured the Netherlands for the World Cricket League in 2012, and his first-class debut followed less than a year later against Ireland, with Naveed opening the bowling. Not as talented with bat as with ball he was Canadian seamer Jeremy Gordon’s third wicket in a first-class hat-trick in an Intercontinental Cup match in 2013.
TEAMS ∨
