When Mohammed Shahdad capped his debut series for the UAE with a player-of-the-match display in November, it could not have happened at a more fitting venue.
The 25-year-old batter made 96 to beat Nepal in Cricket World Cup League 2 at the ICC Academy in Dubai last November.
It was a rare win for the national team in a format in which they have faced chronic struggles. His arrival on the scene was a rare piece of good news for the ODI side, as well as an endorsement for the ICC Academy itself.
The Dubai Sports City-based coaching academy has been a prolific finishing school for aspiring international cricketers since its inception in 2010. Many players from both the men’s and women’s national teams have learnt the game there.
No one has had a longer association with the place than Shahdad. He was among the first intake of junior cricketers to join the place, back when the new academy was fronted by the highly credentialled coaching trio of Rod Marsh, Mudassar Nazar and Dayle Hadlee.
“I used to play in my garage when I was eight or nine,” Shahdad said. “[My parents] thought I had interest in cricket, so they enrolled me in the ICC Academy.”
Back then the academy ovals were still yet to be built, and practice sessions took place at the Dubai International Stadium instead.
He showed such promise that he played state-level cricket in India at his age group while still living in Dubai. Aged 14, he moved there altogether to pursue the game.
“I went back with the thought of playing cricket in India because there wasn't much going on here at that time,” Shahdad said. “Cricket wasn't the same here as it is now.”
After eight years spent trying to make the grade in Indian cricket, the former Wellington International School pupil returned home in a bid to make a go of it with the UAE instead.
“I used to get opportunities, but it wasn't stable,” Shahdad said. “I used to play a series for our state [Jammu and Kashmir] and then maybe be dropped for the next one. There's a lot of things behind the scenes, politics and all that.
“I moved states, was in [Mumbai] for a while, then Bangalore. Then, finally, I moved back, thinking of looking for a more stable career.”
Being of Kashmiri heritage, Shahdad’s national identity is already complex. Then factor in the fact he was born in Mauritius – he is thought to be the first ODI cricketer to have been born there – and it is even more opaque.
But Shahdad is proud to have represented the country that has been home for the majority of his life. He grew up in Dubai after the family relocated from Mauritius when he was one.
His debut series last year suggested he can provide stickability at No 3 in the batting order. His 96 from 123 balls against Nepal was the bedrock for a rare successful run-chase of over 200 for the UAE.
“We played two practice games against the US as well, and I got runs,” Shahdad said of his first involvement with the national team.
“That gave me the confidence I can do it at international level. I think the US is probably the best Associate team at this point, so I felt like this is a golden opportunity for me.
“You get a few games and if you don't really do well, you never know what's going to happen. That's how international cricket is, so I felt like this was my opportunity and I had to cash in.”
The national team’s next assignment is a tour of Kathmandu later this month, for a tri-series involving Nepal and Oman.
The tour squad is yet to be announced. Selection will likely be based largely on form shown in the Emirates D50 domestic competition, which reached its finale at the weekend.
Shahdad was not among the leading run scorers, but was part of the winning Emirates Blues side. Plus, he has cash in the bank from that successful first series last year.
He is optimistic he can help the side climb away from the bottom of the ODI rankings.
“The bunch of boys we have now, the amount of practice we've done, the amount of games we've played, I think we're in a really good stead to do well now,” Shahdad said.
The UAE will face hosts Nepal in the opening match of the CWCL2 tri-series on April 25.
