A chance to come of age for three Emirati cricketers

Abdulla, Khaled and Hamad Al Baloushi, chosen to play for the national team at the ACC Cup in Thailand, are ready to take a step up from taped-ball cricket to the international stage.

Abdulla, Khaled and Hamad Al Baloushi are three Emirati boys who have learned the ropes from playing taped-ball cricket on the streets of Al Yahar, a hamlet not far from Al Ain city.

Three Emirati cousins, two of them with only limited cricket experience, will come under the international spotlight this week in an Under 16 tournament in Thailand.

Abdulla, Khaled and Hamad Al Baloushi all learnt the game playing taped-ball cricket with family and friends in Al Yahar, a hamlet close to the Al Ain city.

They are now in the country's 14-strong age group squad that has travelled to Chiang Mai to play in the Cricket Council Challenge Cup of Asia from Friday until March 9, a tournament that requires three UAE passport holders to be included in the team.

Abdulla, 16, is the only one of the cousins with any real experience and he represented the country in the Asian cup competition in Nepal in 2009.

For Khaled, 16, and Hamad, 15, who are both medium pace bowlers and lower-order batsmen, the graduation from playing on the streets and spare ground near their homes to taking the international stage is a massive step.

But Mohammed Hyder, the coach, has faith in the trio and says Abdulla is as good as any player in the squad.

"He is a top-order batsman and a medium pace bowler, and a pretty good fielder as well," he said. "Abdulla has the experience of playing in the UAE age group team before and more recently in the Gulf Cup last year.

"Khaled and Hamad are the two newcomers but they have adapted pretty well.

"They can bat and bowl as well, and can contribute with their fielding. They are tough and strong lads, and I am more than happy to have them on board."

The team has trained for more than a month and the three Emiratis have made the long journey from their homes in Al Ain to Sharjah to get help in improving their game.

"I want to play for the UAE on merit and by the quota system," Abdulla said.

"This time I am more familiar with my role in the team. I am striving hard to be better and to play for the country is a big honour. Someday, I would like to play against teams like India and Pakistan in the big stage."

The Al Baloushi cousins have grown up watching and playing taped-ball cricket in Al Yahar.

"I am not sure how cricket got into our community but it is very popular and played during holidays and free time," Abdulla said.

"The game is played on a vacant area and streets near our home and it draws about 20 to 25 players. It is largely among my family members, uncles, cousins, and a few friends also join.

"There is no organised cricket at the junior level in Al Ain and until it starts it is the taped-ball cricket for us."

Shahzade Saleem, a coach attached to the Emirates Cricket Board in Sharjah who has worked with the three Emiratis to prepare them for the tour, said they are keen to learn and have adopted a very positive approach.

"They are willing to work hard," Saleem, who speaks fluent Arabic, said.

"They are strong lads, both mentally and physically. And more importantly they have gelled well with the rest of the players."

Mazhar Khan, the Emirates Cricket Board administrator, said their selection would hopefully generate more interest within the community players.

"We have missed out in participating in the age group competitions in the past because we couldn't field the required number of Emirati players and to have three in this squad is a major step forward," he said.

Hyder was confident of a good performance from his team, who play Bhutan in their opening game on Saturday. "We are travelling with a balanced squad as most of them are all-rounders and it provides us depth in both, batting and bowling," the coach said.

"The batting is pretty strong and has depth.

"We have three medium pacers, three leg spinners, a left arm spinner and an off spinner. I would expect everyone to do their bit and play as a team.

"I guess the opening game to be a little tough and then Afghanistan is the team we would expect to be the hardest.

"This competition is a very good experience for the youngsters and obviously we want to do return with some good performances."