The UAE’s prospects in cricket have been boosted by the immediate availability of five new players.
A 17-man national team squad is on tour in Nepal for two T20 internationals, then a Cricket World Cup League 2 tri-series that follows.
The make-up of the squad is vastly different to that which last appeared in one-day international cricket for the UAE, back in November.
Khuzaima Tanveer and Ajay Kumar, who are already stars of the domestic game via their excellence in the ILT20, have been selected for the first time.
They are joined by Akshdeep Nath, Harpreet Bhatia and Adeeb Usmani as the new arrivals in the squad.
Each of the five players was recently granted UAE citizenship. They are the first cricketers to be naturalised.
In 2018, a Presidential decree issued by Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed opened the path for foreign-born players to represent the UAE in sport.
Sports such as football, rugby and judo have seen a select group of players rewarded for their commitment to the country with citizenship, and call ups to their respective national teams.
Cricket’s situation has been slightly different until now. The sport has always been played almost exclusively by expatriates, who have been permitted to play internationally via the ICC’s eligibility rules.
Usually, this has been via the three-year residency rule, which states players are deemed resident if they have had their “primary and permanent home in the relevant country for the immediately preceding three years”.
Khuzaima and Kumar had each been counting down the days till they became eligible by that means, before having the process fast-tracked.
Now they qualify under the first article of the ICC’s player regulations regarding nationality. By that, a player is eligible to play for a national team if they can demonstrate “by his/her possession of a valid passport issued by the relevant country” they are a national of that country.
“I am feeling grateful,” said Khuzaima, who was recalled from being part of the Karachi Kings squad at the Pakistan Super League to tour Nepal with the UAE instead.
“If you get this opportunity to represent your country, it is a feeling that is out of this world for any player.
“The country is trusting you and giving you this chance, so I think you are the lucky one.
“I have played UAE domestic cricket for the past three years and have played the past two seasons of ILT20 and Abu Dhabi T10.
“It has been a great experience to play with international players. Now I have this opportunity to play for UAE. I am very grateful to the Emirates Cricket Board for supporting me.”
Kumar has been in the country for around two years. The left-arm fast bowler marked himself out as a fine prospect with a brilliant debut campaign in the ILT20 for Abu Dhabi Knight Riders last season.
“From the day I landed in the UAE, it was my dream to represent the country at the international level,” Kumar said.
“Now I am getting this chance and all thanks to UAE, the support staff, and I have really been helped by playing domestic and club level cricket.
“They have been looking after us really well. The management have been supportive throughout the whole journey.
“I am grateful to the board and all the cricket fraternity. I am really excited to represent this country and do well for them.”
The squad also includes recalls for a number of players who came through the age-group ranks of UAE cricket.
Nilansh Keswani is returning to Kathmandu, where he played a part in the UAE’s T20 World Cup qualifying campaign in 2023.
The left-handed all-rounder has been rewarded for an outstanding Emirates D50 campaign, when he made two centuries and topped the run-scoring charts.
Spin-bowlers Zuhaib Zubair and Jash Giyanani have also been recalled after extended absences from the squad.
The UAE will hope the changes will help arrest their flagging fortunes. They are the lowest-ranked side in men’s one-day international cricket, ahead of the matches against Nepal and Oman in Kathmandu.
