UAE women land ICC award ahead of Asia Cup against India, Pakistan and Nepal

National team won Associate performance of the year prize for impressive results that nearly brought them Women’s T20 World Cup qualification

UAE's Khushi Sharma celebrates after taking the wicket of Vanuatu batter Valenta Langiatu in the Women's T20 World Cup Qualifier at Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on May 3, 2024. UAE won the game by 70 runs. All images by Chris Whiteoak / The National

Vanuatu' batter Rayline Ova is bowled by UAE's Heena Hotchandani for six. Vanuatu finished their innings on 63-8

UAE's Samaira Dharnidharka celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of Vanuatu batter Nasimana Navaika for a duck. Dharnidharka finished with figures of 4-12

Vanuatu batter Rachel Andrew is bowled by UAE's Samaira Dharnidharka for first-ball duck

UAE bowler Samaira Dharnidharka after bowling Vanuatu's Rachel Andrew for a duck

UAE's Samaira Dharnidharka bowls Vanuatu captain Selina Solman for 10

UAE captain Esha Oza after taking the wicket of Vanuatu's Maiyllise Carlot for four

Vanuatu's Vicky Mansale is bowled by UAE's Samaira Dharnidharka for one

Theertha Satish top-scored for UAE with 44 runs

Vanuatu's Rachel Andrew after taking the wicket of the UAE captain Esha Oza for 29

UAE's Rinitha Rajith scored nine before being being run out

UAE batter Heena Hotchandani is bowled by Vanuatu's Nasimana Navaika for 11

UAE's Theertha Satish scored 44 runs off 42 balls

Vanuatu's Rachel Andrew celebrates after catching out UAE batter Kavisha Egodage for 17 off the bowling of Vanessa Vira

UAE's Theertha Satish hit three fours in her innings of 44

The rapid progress of women’s cricket in the UAE has been recognised in the form of an award from the International Cricket Council.

The UAE won the ICC’s Associate Member women’s performance of the year in the governing body’s annual development awards.

The prize reflects the national team’s outstanding sequence of results which eventually took them to within 15 runs of qualification for the Women’s T20 World Cup.

Esha Oza took her side to within touching distance of one of the great shock results of the women’s game when they played Sri Lanka in the T20 World Cup Qualifier in Abu Dhabi in May.

To reach that point, the UAE had won the pre-qualifier in Malaysia, for which they earned the ICC award.

Mubashshir Usmani, the general secretary of the Emirates Cricket Board, said the award represented “a proud moment for UAE cricket”.

He believes the results of the senior team over the past year reflect the focus that has been placed on the women's game in recent times.

“Over the last few years, we have laid special emphasis on promoting and developing women’s cricket and it is heartening to see those efforts have now started to bear fruit,” Usmani said.

The women’s side has advanced markedly in recent times. Up until 2022 they enjoyed a record-equalling unbeaten streak in T20 internationals.

In the same year they played at the T20 World Cup Qualifier for the first time, with a side packed with highly promising teen talent.

Two years later, they made it to the last four of the same competition, and were only prevented from progressing by a highly-experienced Test nation, in the form of Sri Lanka.

The evidence of the development of the sport has been seen elsewhere, too. A product of the UAE girls programme, Mahika Gaur swapped allegiance in 2023 to England, the country of her birth, and started her career with them with great distinction.

She would likely be representing them again this summer, were it not for school commitments and a side strain, which has ruled her out of playing in the Hundred.

The timing of the ICC announcement is a neat fillip for the national team, who will be bidding for more recognition when they compete in the Women’s Asia Cup in Sri Lanka, starting this week.

The national team will start their challenge with a group match against Nepal on Friday, before facing the might of Pakistan and India.

It is the first competitive cricket they have played since that heartbreaking loss to Sri Lanka.

Just as it happened at the Qualifier in Abu Dhabi in May, the UAE’s preparations for the Asia Cup have been hindered by unseasonal weather in Dambulla.

It might not have been quite such significant rain as the storm which forced the abandonment of a four-team T20 tournament in the UAE, but the first of their two scheduled warm-up matches ahead of the Asia Cup was also washed out.

They lost the second to a strong Sri Lanka A side, but Ahmed Raza, the UAE coach, said he was pleased with what he saw from his side.

“We had three really good catches and two run outs, and that is something we have spoken about as a team,” Raza, the former captain of the UAE men's side, said.

“We hunt for run outs and we look to minimise those runs. You won’t ever have a perfect game in the field, but it is about getting as close as possible to that.”

The Asia Cup represents another chance for the UAE players to make a name for themselves against sides like India and Pakistan.

Raza says his side are inspired by the resistance they put up against Sri Lanka and are not overawed by the opposition they will face in the Asia Cup.

“When you play sides who are better ranked than you and well-known around the world, it is about going back to what you learnt on the first day you started playing cricket,” Raza said.

“It is about doing the basics right, the same thing over and over again, and trying to do it perfectly. If you look at the better teams in the world, their bowlers keep hitting a length and their batters keep looking for options.

“That is something we have tried to do in the lead up to this tournament and if we can do so when the matches start, we will put up a good show.”