A peep into the UAE Under-19 team’s performance in the Asia Cup beating Test playing nations

By K.R. Nayar

Why is the UAE under -19 team’s performance leading them to the final of the ACC Under-19 Asia Cup considered special? The answer is simple.  UAE cricket has come of age now. You may wonder why I make this statement now when the UAE has repeatedly played in the ICC World Cup in both formats and I had not made a similar remark then. 

 

The reason being that whenever I have written about the UAE team doing well, the common remark is that the UAE benefits from the talented cricketers who have honed their skills in their home countries and are now making the UAE proud. However, this time, the players who have guided UAE to the ACC Under-19 Asia Cup final beating Test playing countries like Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are products of UAE’s grass root cricket. They are cricketers who were made in the UAE.

 

UAE captain Aayan Afzal Khan and Bangladesh skipper Mahfuzur Rahman Rabby pose with the ACC Men's Under19 Asia Cup  

 

When we admire the players for their achievements, one should not forget the coaches here who believed in these boys and instilled in them the confidence to beat the best. To become a good cricketer and be part of a team that can beat the best only happens when his or her basics are sound and correct. This triumph also confirms that the coaches here are doing a good job. And while saluting the coaches who groomed each one of them, a shout out should also go to the parents who believed that despite being in the UAE and training here, they can be the best and their investments are not wasted.

 

Hats off to those who have invested in the training facilities here despite being unsure of how far the ones who train will succeed. There are no legends like Sachin Tendulkar or Virat Kohli here but there are cricketers who have done their best to put this country on the world cricket map.

 

UAE skipper Aayan Afzal Khan 

UAE skipper Aayan Afzal Khan trains at the Sharjah Cricket Academy whose head coach is Khurram Khan, the man who has repeatedly placed the UAE prominently in international events through his match winning performances.

 

The UAE Under-19 team’s head coach is Pakistan’s Mudassar Nazar. For those who have been fortunate to see him in action during his playing days know how tough it was to dismiss him. It is that toughness that he has passed on to the boys.

 

Final (December 17, 2023)

Shyam Bhatia, a cricket enthusiast, who, like the parents of these boys, has supported cricket here and believed in them to be world beaters. He had once mentioned in his interview to Khaleej Times that it was the no-fear factor that has helped the UAE boys reach the final. That seems to be very true now. 

 

Similarly, as Gopal Jasapara a devoted coach in Dubai, had said that this was the impact of the hard work put in by professional academies and the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB). The ECB has invested in numerous youth programs and is reaping the benefits now.  A salute must go to Andrew Russell, ECB’s Cricket Development Manager, who made sure that inter-emirates matches for various ages were held. Sharjah Cricket too lived up to their catch- line ‘a stage to perform’ by staging various junior tournaments, thanks to the vision of Khalaf Bukhatir (CEO Sharjah Cricket). 

 

Mubashshir Usmani,  General Secretary of the ECB, is a proud man now. He made sure that every new initiative was approved and saw to it that things happen.

Shaji Ul Mulk, chairman of T10 tournaments, invited youngsters to be part of the T10 teams and rub shoulders with international cricketers in Abu Dhabi T10. The role of ILT20 too has been immense.

 

Abu Dhabi, by creating world class facilities, has also ensured a stage for players to groom their skills. Ahmed Raza, who is the assistant coach and former UAE captain, is a product of the schools’ cricket here from the days when I used to write about the Al Rawabi inter schools cricket organised by the Dubai Cricket Council. 

All of them are well aware of what is needed to be successful. Above all, when there are people with passion for the game and there are boys who want to excel, the UAE will surely scale to greater heights.