Syed Haider said he was moved to tears after getting his late summons to the UAE squad for the T20 World Cup in India.
The 24-year-old wicketkeeper was approved as a replacement player by the event technical committee on Wednesday.
The squad had been one player short since Mohammed Zohaib was controversially ejected on the eve of the first game against New Zealand.
Haider received the invitation from the UAE team management on Wednesday. He flew that evening, and was training with the side in Delhi on Thursday, ahead of their next group match against Canada on Friday.
“I'm too excited,” Haider said. “It's the big time; it's the World Cup. My feelings are all over the place.”
Haider was born in Karachi. As for all players of Pakistani origin, the visa process is a lengthy one for playing in India, and his was done well in advance of the competition.
As such, he knew he was in contention for a place in the squad. When he subsequently missed out on the initial squad, he said he was disappointed, but that “everything happens for a reason.”
He finally got the call when the technical committee accepted that Zohaib could be replaced on the grounds of “mental well-being” and “team welfare”.
He was thrilled, and immediately called his best friend – who is coincidentally already in India, and has a half-century to his name in the competition already.
“I had tears in my eyes,” Haider said. “I had a dream a few days ago that I might be travelling to India.
“I was very shocked at first. I was feeling all over the place. I called my best friend first up. I called Alishan [Sharafu, the UAE batter] and I told him that there might be a possibility that I might be coming.
“Then I called my mum and I told her that I might be travelling.”
Haider is confident he can have a positive impact on a side who are at a low ebb after a poor run of form, and an opening day thrashing by New Zealand.
“If the coach has called me, that means he believes in me, he backs me, and he knows that I am capable to do amazing things,” he said.
“Coming into this tournament, I'd say I am very positive, whether I get a game or not. If I am playing, I'll make sure that I'm doing everything I can to make sure the team gets over the line.
“Even if I'm not, then outside the rope, I'll make sure that the morale is up and everything else is positive as well.”
Haider’s arrival brings the number of home-grown players in the 15-man UAE squad to four. He represented the national team at the Under-19 World Cup in South Africa in 2020, alongside his best mate, Sharafu.
Haider could compete for the wicketkeeping gloves with another of the home-reared players. Aryansh Sharma was the sole keeper named in the initial squad, and should retain his place at the top of the batting order, even if Haider does make the XI.
Although he will be wearing the blue and gold of the UAE, Aryansh should feel at home in Delhi. He was born in nearby Noida.
Although he moved to Dubai when he was 21 months old because of his dad’s work as a senior manager for an energy company, he regards India’s capital as “basically my hometown”.
“I was really excited when the schedule showed we had three games in Delhi,” said Aryansh, who will have lots of his family in the crowd at the game against Canada.
“But as much as I'm excited, it's also a pressure to perform. The main goal is obviously to perform and hopefully make the team win.”
The fourth of the UAE-raised players in the squad, Dhruv Parashar, was also born in India. He moved to Dubai aged three, again due to his parents’ jobs; they both work in finance.
“It is a dream to play in India, that too in a World Cup, and I'm very grateful to the UAE and ECB for giving me this opportunity,” Parashar said.
“Now it's in my hands to contribute and win games for the team. I'm playing in my country, but I'm representing the UAE and my only goal is to make the UAE win.
“That's a great feeling for me and my family. I'll have some family in every city [Chennai and Delhi], so I'm sure they're going to come down to watch.
“It’s a proud moment for me because everyone wants to see their family play on a big stage, on TV or in the ground. It’s a dream.
“It doesn't really get bigger than this. And the best way to top it off would be win some games and perform well.”
