United Arab Emirates national cricket team

The United Arab Emirates national cricket team (Arabic: فريق الإمارات الوطني للكريكيت‎) is the team that represents the United Arab Emirates in international cricket. They are governed by the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) which became an Affiliate Member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 1989 and an Associate Member the following year.[6] Since 2005, the ICC's headquarters have been located in Dubai.

United Arab Emirates
AssociationEmirates Cricket Board
Personnel
CaptainAhmed Raza
CoachRobin Singh
International Cricket Council
ICC statusAssociate Member with ODI status (1990)
ICC regionAsia
ICC Rankings Current [1] Best-ever
ODI 18th 14th (1-Sep-2018)
T20I 13th 11th (21-Oct-2019)
One Day Internationals
First ODIv.  India at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah; 13 April 1994
Last ODIv.  Namibia at Al Amerat Cricket Stadium, Muscat; 9 January 2020
ODIs Played Won/Lost
Total [2] 59 17/42
(0 ties, 0 no result)
This year [3] 3 2/1
(0 ties, 0 no result)
World Cup appearances2 (first in 1996)
Best resultGroup stage (1996, 2015)
World Cup Qualifier appearances7 (first in 1994)
Best resultChampions (1994)
Twenty20 Internationals
First T20Iv.  Netherlands at Kingsmead, Sylhet; 17 March 2014
Last T20Iv.  Kuwait at Al Amerat Cricket Stadium Turf 1, Muscat; 27 February 2020
T20Is Played Won/Lost
Total [4] 49 24/24
(0 ties, 1 no result)
This year [5] 5 5/0
(0 ties, 0 no result)
T20 World Cup appearances1 (first in 2014)
Best resultGroup stage (2014)
T20 World Cup Qualifier appearances4 (first in 2010)
Best result3rd (2010)

ODI and T20I kit

As of 20 May 2020

One of the emerging One Day International (ODI) teams,[7] the UAE won the ACC Trophy on four consecutive occasions between 2000 and 2006, and were runners-up in the other three times the tournament has been played in 1996, 1998[6] and 2008.[8] They won the ICC Trophy in 1994, and played their first ODIs that year, later playing in the 1996 Cricket World Cup.[6] Other ODI matches came in the 2004 and 2008 Asia Cups. At the 2014 World Cup Qualifier, the UAE placed second behind Scotland, qualifying for the 2015 World Cup and gaining ODI status until 2018.[9]

UAE made the group stage of the 2014 ICC World Twenty20. The team has qualified for the 2019 ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier as hosts. Following the demise of the World Cricket League (WCL), UAE will play in the 2019–22 ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 going forward.

History

Early days

In 1892, the United Kingdom took responsibility of the Sheikhdoms, and cricket was introduced by the British Army in what is now the UAE, but was then known as the "Trucial States". The game spread during World War II, as personnel from the British Royal Air Force and other Commonwealth forces (which included first-class and club cricketers from Australia and New Zealand) stationed in cities such as Ajman, Al Ain, Dubai and Sharjah, continued their favourite pastime. The pitches installed by them around the air base in Sharjah were used by British and other foreign nationals after the war ended.[7]

Sharjah residents began playing the Dubai residents in the local derbies which were held in Dubai. The Garden city of Al Ain has the oldest cricket council in the whole of the UAE. The popularity of the game declined after independence in 1971; however, when South Asians began settling in the country, they brought with them a wish to play cricket. The local Arab population, educated in India and Pakistan, set up clubs and domestic tournaments began in the 1980s.[7]

Making of the national side

The first match was played by the UAE national side in February 1976 against Pakistan International Airlines in Sharjah. The visitors scored 345/5 from their 50 overs and the UAE were on 88/4 from 28 overs when the game was abandoned due to rain.[7]

Wealthy locals began investing in the sport and an International standard cricket ground was constructed in Sharjah. The Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium hosted its first international event in 1984 when India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka contested the Asia Cup. The venue has gone on to host almost 200 ODIs[10] and four Test matches,[11] the Test matches having been held there due to security concerns in Pakistan.[7]

The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) was established in 1989[7] and gained affiliate membership of the ICC the same year. They were quickly promoted to associate member status the following year.[6] Also in 1990 the national side returned to action, twice losing heavily to the Netherlands. These heavy defeats showed that much work needed to be done if the UAE were to be successful in the 1994 ICC Trophy and the ECB adopted a controversial policy.[7]

1994 ICC Trophy

Hoping to form a successful national side in time for the tournament in Kenya, the ECB attracted several players with first-class experience in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka to take up employment in the country so that they could satisfy the residential requirements to represent the UAE in the tournament.[7]

With just one native Arab selected in the shape of Sultan Zarawani, who captained the side, the UAE won the trophy and thus qualified for the 1996 World Cup.[7] UAE had beaten Kenya in the final,[12] and the Kenyan players and cricket board were very vocal in their anger at being defeated by what they and other observers described as a team of imported mercenaries.[7]

Whilst the ICC remained relatively silent on the controversy, the national team eligibility requirements were strongly tightened for all future ICC sanctioned tournaments.[7]

First ODIs

The UAE played their first ODIs in 1994 when they played against India and Pakistan in the Austral-Asia Cup, which they also hosted.[13] They finished last in a tri-series against Kenya and the Netherlands the same year and also finished last in a tournament against the A sides of India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in 1995. They returned to ODI cricket in the 1996 World Cup where they lost all matches except the one against the Netherlands, which was the first ever ODI between two associate members of the ICC.[6]

Later in 1996 the UAE were runners-up to Bangladesh in the first ACC Trophy. The tightened eligibility rules meant that they were unable to repeat their 1994 success when they finished tenth in the 1997 ICC Trophy in Malaysia.[6] They were beaten by Bangladesh in the semi-finals of the 1998 ACC Trophy.[14]

21st century

2000 – 2009

With Bangladesh being promoted to ICC full membership, the UAE began to establish themselves as the top associate side in Asia, though they often fell short against the top associates in Europe and North America, a position that remains to this day.[7] They won the ACC Trophy in 2000 and 2002, beating Hong Kong and Nepal in the respective finals, but finished fifth in the 2001 ICC Trophy in Canada.[6]

UAE hosted the 2004 ICC Six Nations Challenge and finished fifth, level on points with four other teams. The year was a busy one for the UAE cricketers as they played the first Intercontinental Cup match against Nepal, with Ali Asad taking nine wickets in the first innings. They beat Malaysia later in the tournament but lost to Canada in the semi-finals. They also won the ACC Trophy again, beating Oman in the final. They returned to ODI cricket, losing to India and Sri Lanka in the first round of the Asia Cup, and finished fourth in the Hong Kong Sixes, beating India and South Africa on the way.[6]

They reached the semi-finals of the ICC Intercontinental Cup again in 2005, also playing a series against England A at Sharjah, losing all four matches.[6] The 2005 ICC Trophy in Ireland saw them finish sixth.[15] They beat Hong Kong in the final of the 2006 ACC Trophy, but began their 2006 ICC Intercontinental Cup campaign with an innings defeat by Namibia. The campaign continued with a draw against Scotland and a defeat by Ireland, again by an innings. They finished fourth in the first ACC Twenty20 Cup in 2007.[6]

Their campaign in the 2007-08 ICC Intercontinental Cup was unsuccessful, with just one win against Bermuda in their seven matches.[16] Things went better for them in Division Two of the World Cricket League in Windhoek in 2007, winning the tournament after beating Oman in the final.[17]

They again played in the Asia Cup in 2008, losing to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the first round.[18] Their 2008 ACC Trophy Elite began with a shock defeat by Saudi Arabia, their first ACC Trophy defeat since the 1998 semi-final.[14] They lost to Hong Kong in the final, ending a run of four consecutive titles.[8]

The UAE hosted and were runners-up at the 2009 ACC Twenty20 Cup, losing the final to Afghanistan, after winning four group matches and accounting for Oman in their semi-final.[19]

2010 – present

In October 2010, the team announced that it had hired Kabir Khan to become its coach. Khan had great success with the Afghan team during his one-year stint as they became eligible to play ODIs. Kabir Khan also stated that his aim was to help UAE qualify for the 2012 ICC World Twenty20.[20]

In April 2011, the UAE hosted and won Division Two of the World Cricket League without losing a match.[21] In June/July 2011, they played Kenya at Nairobi for the first round of 2011–13 ICC Intercontinental Cup. In December, the UAE participated in the 2011 ACC Twenty20 Cup in Nepal.[22] Then in 2013, they traveled to Scotland to compete in the 2013 Cricket World Cup Qualifier, the final event of the 2009–13 World Cricket League.[23]

UAE finished third in the 2013 ACC Twenty20 Cup which after defeating Hong Kong in the play-off for third place. In November, they hosted 2013 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier and finished fourth after losing to Nepal in the play-off for third place, and qualified for the 2014 ICC World Twenty20, defeating the Netherlands by 10 runs in the quarter-final.

Afthab Muhammad Nisar is the captain of UAE's under 17 side

UAE participated in the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 but were unsuccessful in the tournament, going without a win. UAE finished second in the 2014 ACC Premier League and qualified for the 2014 ACC Championship. They also qualified for 2015 Cricket World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

UAE qualified to play in the Cricket World Cup after a lapse of almost twenty years. Unlike other teams in the tournament, the squad of players mainly consisted of semi-professionals.[24] The team registered their highest ODI total ever at the 2015 Cricket World Cup in a group stage match played against Zimbabwe in Nelson, New Zealand.[25] However, they failed to register a win and were eliminated from the 2015 Cricket World Cup with 6 losses out of 6 matches in Pool B.[26]

22 March 2018
09:30
Scorecard
United Arab Emirates 
235/7 (47.5 overs)
v
 Zimbabwe
226/7 (40 overs)
Rameez Shahzad 59 (61)
Sikandar Raza 3/41 (10 overs)
Sean Williams 80 (80)
Mohammad Naveed 3/40 (8 overs)
United Arab Emirates won by 3 runs (D/L method)
Harare Sports Club, Harare
Umpires: Gregory Brathwaite (WI) and Ahsan Raza (Pak)
Player of the match: Mohammad Naveed (UAE)
  • Zimbabwe won the toss and elected to field.
  • Zimbabwe were set a revised target of 230 runs from 40 overs due to rain.
  • Shaiman Anwar became the first batsman for the United Arab Emirates to score 1,000 runs in ODIs.[27]
  • This was the United Arab Emirates' first win against a Full Member side in ODIs.[27]

This was their first win against a full member side.

International grounds
Main article: List of international cricket five-wicket hauls on Emirati cricket grounds

International contribution by UAE grounds
Stadium City Tests ODIs T20Is
Dubai International Cricket Stadium Dubai 10[28] 18[29] 36[30]
Sharjah Cricket Stadium Sharjah 9[31] 226[32] 12[33]
Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium Abu Dhabi 9[34] 31[35] 19[36]
ICC Academy Ground Dubai 0 10[37] 11[38]

Updated 3 November 2016

Locations of all stadiums which have hosted an international cricket match within UAE

Infrastructure

In terms of infrastructure, the UAE have the best stadiums as compared to other Associate members: Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi; DSC Cricket Stadium, Dubai and Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium, Sharjah, which has hosted around 200 ODIs and Test matches.

International stadiums in Ajman and Al Ain are currently under development.

The following are the main cricket stadiums in UAE:

Tournament history

World Cup
World Cup record
Year Round Position P W L T NR
1975Not eligible – not an ICC member
1979
1983
1987
1992Did not participate in qualifying
1996First Round11/1251400
1999Did not qualify
2003
2007
2011
2015Group Stage13/1460600
2019Did not qualify
2023-––––––
Total0 Titles1111000

ICC T20 World Cup
ICC T20 World Cup
Year Round Position GP W L T NR
2007Did not qualify
2009
2010
2012
2014Group Stage16/1630300
2016Did not qualify
2020
2021TBD
Total0 Titles16/1630300

ICC World Cup Qualifier

ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier

Intercontinental Cup

World Cricket League

Asia Cup
  • 1983 to 1988: Not eligible – Not an ACC member[6]
  • 1990/91: Did not participate[6]
  • 1995: Did not participate[6]
  • 1997: Did not qualify[6]
  • 2000: Did not qualify[6]
  • 2004: First round[6]
  • 2008: First round[18]
  • 2010: Did not qualify[6]
  • 2012 Did not qualify[6]
  • 2014: Did not qualify[6]
  • 2016: First round, 5th place
  • 2018:Did not qualify

ACC Western Region T20

ACC Championship
  • 2014: Qualified

ACC Fast Track Countries Tournament

ACC Premier League

ACC Trophy

ACC Twenty20 Cup

Coaching staff

Records and statistics

International match summary – United Arab Emirates[44][45]

Playing Record
FormatMWLTNRInaugural match
One-Day Internationals5917420013 April 1994
Twenty20 Internationals4924240117 March 2014

Last updated 27 February 2020.

One-Day Internationals

ODI record versus other nations[44]

OpponentMWLTNRFirst matchFirst win
v. Test nations
 Afghanistan633002 May 201428 November 2014
 Bangladesh1010024 June 2008
 England1010018 February 1996
 India3030013 April 1994
 Ireland6060025 February 2015
 New Zealand1010027 February 1996
 Pakistan3030017 April 1994
 South Africa2020016 February 1996
 Sri Lanka2020017 July 2004
 West Indies2020015 March 2015
 Zimbabwe6150022 March 201822 March 2018
v. Associate Members
 Hong Kong422004 May 20144 May 2014
 Namibia220006 January 20206 January 2020
   Nepal4220030 August 201830 August 2018
 Netherlands110001 March 19961 March 1996
 Oman101005 January 2020
 Papua New Guinea4310031 March 201731 March 2017
 Scotland835001 February 201424 January 2017
 United States202008 December 2019

Last updated 9 January 2020.

Twenty20 Internationals

T20I record versus other nations[45]

OpponentMWLTNRFirst matchFirst win
v. Test nations
 Afghanistan6150010 July 201519 February 2016
 Australia1010022 October 2018
 Bangladesh1010026 February 2016
 India101003 March 2016
 Ireland6330019 March 201416 February 2016
 Pakistan1010029 February 2016
 Sri Lanka1010025 February 2016
 Zimbabwe1010021 March 2014
v. Associate Members
 Canada1100027 October 201927 October 2019
 Hong Kong2200021 February 201621 February 2016
 Iran1100023 February 202023 February 2020
 Jersey1010022 October 2019
 Kuwait2200024 February 202024 February 2020
   Nepal3120031 January 201931 January 2019
 Netherlands8440017 March 20143 August 2019
 Nigeria1100024 October 201924 October 2019
 Oman3210022 November 201522 November 2015
 Papua New Guinea3300012 April 201712 April 2017
 Qatar1100026 February 202026 February 2020
 Saudi Arabia1100025 February 202025 February 2020
 Scotland212009 July 20154 February 2016
 United States2100115 March 201916 March 2019

Records complete to T20I #1066. Last updated 27 February 2020.

Other First-class Records

ICC Trophy

Overall

World records
  • Highest ever partnership for 7th wicket in World Cup history (Amjad Javed and Shaiman Anwar 107 v. Ireland, Amjad Javed and Nasir Aziz 107 v. West Indies). UAE became the first team to score 100+ run stand for the 7th wicket in World Cup history. Thus, Amjad Javed is the only player in World Cup history to involve in two 100+ run stands for the seventh wicket.[63]
  • Khurram Khan is the oldest player to score an ODI century as well as the oldest player to score his maiden ODI century (at the age of 43 years and 162 days).[64][65]

Current squad
The following list contains the 15 players in UAE's squad for the 2018 Cricket World Cup Qualifier:
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gollark: According to duckduckgo it's mentioned in about two places.
gollark: More importantly, *how* will you simulate the block-universe time travel?
gollark: The physics simulationy bit is pretty separate from the rendering bit. Usually, anyway.
gollark: I mean, it's not like a simple 4D physics sim would be different to a 3D/2D one with a slightly different vector type and more annoying rendering.

See also
  • United Arab Emirates national women's cricket team

References
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  2. "ODI matches - Team records". ESPNcricinfo.
  3. "ODI matches - 2020 Team records". ESPNcricinfo.
  4. "T20I matches - Team records". ESPNcricinfo.
  5. "T20I matches - 2020 Team records". ESPNcricinfo.
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  7. Encyclopedia of World Cricket by Roy Morgan, Sportsbooks Publishing, 2007
  8. Scorecard of Hong Kong v UAE, 3 August 2008 at CricketArchive
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