On another chastening day for UAE cricket at least one person from Dubai was able to celebrate a good outing at the ACC Premier Cup in Muscat.
The national team’s frailties were exposed again as they were thrashed by hosts Oman. Issues that had been papered over with opening wins in the competition against Kuwait and Bahrain resurfaced as they were entirely outplayed.
In a game reduced to 15-overs per side by rain, the home team won by nine wickets with more than two overs to spare.
On the neighbouring field at the Oman Cricket Academy, Qasim Ali might have been an intrigued observer, were he not wholly invested in his new remit instead.
Since the start of this year, Qasim has been in charge of Kuwait. For much of the recent past, he had played an integral role preparing the brightest young talents in the UAE for international cricket as the head coach at the ICC Academy in Dubai.
His first assignment at this 10-team event in Oman pitted his new charges against some familiar faces last week, when the UAE beat Kuwait.
On Monday, though, he was able to savour an uplifting win as Kuwait beat another of the Gulf sides at the competition, Bahrain, by 26 runs in a similarly rain-abbreviated game.
“It was an excellent win,” Qasim said. “To adapt to the conditions and show the responsibility to win the game, that is really big for our players.
“They stuck to a plan, which is really pleasing to see, and it is another win on the board.”
Qasim’s new brief is rather different to his old one. At the ICC Academy, his place of work was among the leading cricket training facilities in the world, with two international-standard ovals, numerous outdoor turf net-lanes, as well as a high-spec indoor school.
In Kuwait, there is just one turf playing field for cricket at present, which has to deal with the strain of plenty of matches.
“It is a concern and a challenge because there is a lot of cricket being played on there, so there is a lot of maintenance required,” Qasim said.
“Does it replicate the same thing we have here playing at this level? Probably not. But some of the other countries in the GCC struggle in terms of having a grass outfield and turf wicket.
“There are plans in place to expand, but from my perspective it is great that we can have centre wicket practices.
“The men, women, and juniors are all playing on one great so there is a nice family feeling, and everybody is utilising the facility.”
Qasim has been handed a two-year contract to oversee the development of the game in Kuwait. He is grateful for the faith that has been shown in him, and is keen to repay it.
“That is reassuring for me but it also gives me some time to put a proper plan in place from a development perspective, which is great for Kuwait cricket,” he said.
“Hopefully, I can use my experience from UAE to create a pathway to help nurture more players for the national team.
“In the long run, what we want is players who are raw but can come into an environment like this and provide some X-factor, but also handle the pressure of this level.
“Cricket is just getting bigger in Kuwait and from my perspective, it is a nice challenge. It is also reassuring for me to be given complete autonomy to create a programme I can call my own, where I can put my stamp and identity on it.”
UAE lose to Oman – in pictures
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UAE players during their ACC Men's Premier Cup Group B match against Oman at Oman Cricket Stadium in Al Amerat, Muscat, on April 15, 2024. Oman won the game by nine wickets. All photos: Subas Humagain for The National -
Oman opener Kashyap Prajapati celebrates reaching his half century against the UAE. He made 53 not out off 38 balls. -
Asif Khan of UAE plays a shot on his way to a total of 66. -
Naseem Khusi of Oman plays a shot on his way to a score of 39. -
Khalid Kail of Oman blasts the ball. He made 50 off 23 deliveries. -
Asif Khan of the UAE plays a shot. -
UAE skipper Muhammad Waseem, who made 45 off 25 balls, receives treatment for an injury. -
Kashyap Prajapati of Oman in action under the floodlights. -
Aasif Sheikh top-scored for Nepal with 40 off 18 balls in the ACC Men's Premier Cup Group A match against Hong Kong at Oman Cricket Stadium in Al Amerat, Muscat, on April 15, 2024. Nepal won the game by eight wickets. -
Dipendra Singh Airee of Nepal, who took two wickets for six runs, fields the balls. -
Anshuman Rath of Hong Kong made 34 runs off 26 deliveries. -
Avinash Bohora of Nepal, centre, who took 3-29, celebrates after claiming a wicket. -
Kushal Bhurtel made 32 off 19 balls for Nepal.
While his focus was on what was under way on Oval 2 at the Oman Cricket Academy, on the adjacent field the UAE toiled against the home team.
Asif Khan struck his third half century in a row in the competition. But fine bowling from Bilal Khan – who became the third fastest player to 100 T20 international career wickets in the process – limited the national team to 142-5 from their 15 overs.
The three batters Oman used to haul that target in – Kashyap Prajapati, Naseem Khushi and Khalid Kail – hit 11 sixes between them in the 12.4 overs it required to finish the job.
Qasim, for his part, knows the UAE players better than he does his Kuwait ones so far. As such, he is hopeful they do well, even if they are vying for a place with them in the semi-finals.
“It does feel strange, seeing them in the hotel and not being part of their set up,” Qasim said.
“It is great to see the lads playing at this level. Some of them came through my scholarship programme for five years, someone like Ali Naseer, who is showing some really good confidence.
“It was strange having the first game being against us, but it is pleasing to see from my perspective that these boys can operate at this level against some of the big boys. I am really enjoying my role with Kuwait at the moment. It is fantastic.”
