Ramblers, scones and sheep: CP Rizwan taking scenic route back to international game

Former UAE captain has spent the summer challenging himself in the picturesque climes of club cricket in the UK

CP Rizwan, former captain of the UAE cricket team, joined English country side Hatherley and Reddings as an overseas player this summer. All photos: Rob Greig for The National

Hatherley and Reddings players in a team huddle during a match against Dumbleton in the Cotswolds.

CP Rizwan said his move to England has been “challenging, but I am getting used to it. I am making a lot of friends, enjoying the company and the culture."

Dumbleton’s ground is at the foot of one of the rolling hills of the Cotswolds, beneath a 19th century manor house.

CP Rizwan's English county side Hatherley and Reddings played at one of the most picturesque grounds in the country. Dumbleton, in Gloucestershire, regularly features in lists of the most scenic venues in English cricket.

CP Rizwan- bowls during the game against Dumbleton.

CP Rizwan said: “Cricket is a great medium to make friends. It is great to play, then discuss cricket after the game, chilling with them. I am making good memories."

Among the smorgasbord between innings were mini Yorkshire puddings stuffed with roast beef and horse radish, as well as scones made both the Devon way – clotted cream then jam – and the Cornish way – jam then cream.

CP Rizwan has had to adapt to English conditions.

When CP Rizwan packed his bags and kissed goodbye to his wife and two sons – one still a baby, the other a toddler – back in April, he was going against convention.

CP Rizwan still feels he has "a lot to contribute for UAE cricket again. It is my goal to leave a legacy."

Remittance workers in the UAE are used to setting off from their homelands for lengthy stints furthering their professional careers abroad.

When CP Rizwan packed his bags and kissed goodbye to his wife and two sons – one still a baby, the other a toddler – back in April, he was going against convention.

Most people make the trip to Dubai to live and work. Rizwan, though, went the other way, taking up a rare opportunity to spend the summer as an overseas pro in UK club cricket.

It has meant months away from his young family. It is the sort of trip aspiring pro players from many of cricket’s established nations make as a rite of passage early in the careers.

But Rizwan had just celebrated his 36th birthday when he set off for his summer abroad. He has played first class cricket in India. He has scored international centuries for the UAE, and even captained the country at a T20 World Cup. How much more personal development does he have left as a cricketer?

Many players in their mid-30s would be considering life after cricket, but Rizwan is raging against the dying of the light. He wants to re-establish himself in the national team, and was thrilled to take up another chance to test himself in foreign conditions this summer.

“I want to do everything I can to make myself better,” Rizwan said. “It is easy to stay in Dubai and stay in my comfort zone, but when you go to different places and take on challenges, it will make you a better cricketer.

“I feel I have a lot to contribute for UAE cricket again. It is my goal to leave a legacy.

“I haven’t given up my UAE dream. I have manifested getting a hundred in the 2027 World Cup, and even in the 2026 T20 World Cup, Inshallah. I have that in my dreams. I am working harder than ever.”

Not that this summer has always felt like work. Playing for Hatherley and Reddings, a 139-year-old club in the UK’s West Country, must often feel like a retelling of cricket’s origin story on the village greens of England.

His side were playing at one of the most picturesque grounds in the country. Dumbleton, in Gloucestershire, regularly features in lists of the most scenic venues in English cricket.

It could not be much further removed from the functional fields of Ajman, for example. Dumbleton’s ground is at the foot of one of the rolling hills of the Cotswolds, beneath a 19th century manor house.

Its boundary is a wobbly version of the sort Rizwan would be used to. Instead of the cushioned Toblerones marking the edge of the international stadiums in Dubai, Sharjah or Abu Dhabi, a chalk line weaves in front of the surrounding trees.

Beyond that ramblers hurdle stiles, and pick paths between sheep across the country pastures.

Then there is the tea. Again, not quite the cuisine Rizwan – who is an ambassador for Filli Cafe, the chain of popular Indian tea shops, in Dubai – might be used to, yet something to be savoured.

Among the smorgasbord between innings were mini Yorkshire puddings stuffed with roast beef and horse radish, as well as scones made both the Devon way – clotted cream then jam – and the Cornish way – jam then cream.

“Where I’m staying it’s difficult to get your favourite Indian or Arabic stuff,” said Rizwan, who has been staying in the spare room of one of his teammates in a different Cotswold village.

“It was challenging, but I am getting used to it. I am making a lot of friends, enjoying the company and the culture.

“Cricket is a great medium to make friends. It is great to play, then discuss cricket after the game, chilling with them. I am making good memories.

“Cricket gives you perspective, helps you see how different people live their lives, and these are memories to cherish forever. I am sure this will make me a better person and all round individual.”

That was what drove his decision to take up the offer from Hatherley and Reddings to become their overseas pro.

It is not something that has been done often by UAE players in the past, with Home Office rules making it difficult for players from beyond cricket’s established nations to play in the UK.

Rameez Shahzad, the former UAE batter, did a short-term stint in the past, while Vriitya Aravind has also dovetailed doing similar with his studies at university in Loughborough.

“I had it in my mind to challenge myself,” Rizwan said. “I had been looking for an opportunity for the past couple of years. This time, everything clicked.

“The club approached me saying they were looking for an overseas player, and it was really nice to get it across the line.

“I feel like I should have done this a few years back because it makes you better. You are expected to do well because you are the overseas player and you are expected to do well for your team.

“It is not easy for us. These are different conditions to what we are used to. The ball is moving around, and you have to carry your team. It tests everything about you as a cricketer. Your leadership qualities are tested because you have to play from the front and lead by example.

“It has been really challenging for sure, but refreshing.”

And, unlike last year, when his trip to play Minor League Cricket in the USA was interrupted by a round-the-world trip to be with his ill son at hospital in Dubai, his family have been able to join him.

For three weeks last month, they visited. It was lucky that, not long before, he had discovered his UAE driver’s licence was valid in the UK. It meant he could take them on trips all over the UK, including in Scotland.

“Driving in the city [Edinburgh] was tougher for me,” he said. “It was confusing with trams being on the road, and having to drive in between.

“I was depending on Google Maps and it was taking me in the places where the tram was going. It was very confusing, but I managed.

“Driving here is really beautiful. The scenery is the best thing. You will not get bored driving here. In Dubai, you can be stuck in traffic.

“My wife said to me, ‘In UAE, you never take me on drives like this. It needed me to come to the UK to do that.’ In UAE, you have to think twice before driving anywhere.

“Even the scenery from my club’s ground is amazing. There are hills, sheep, and the weather is awesome. Obviously, I miss Dubai, but not necessarily the climate.”