UAE coach Dougie Brown has praised the Emirates Cricket Board's attempts to provide a more professional environment for young players to establish themselves.
The ECB's National Academies Under 17 League is now in its third year while an U14 competition is to be introduced this season. There are more young players registered to play cricket in the UAE than ever and Brown, coach of the senior men's team, says that can only be good for the national team.
“It’s really important the best players play against the best players,” Brown said.
“That way, performance can be gauged if you don’t know what standard of cricket you are playing in then you don’t know what performance is.
“We are starting put things into place and hopefully we can continue to develop the platforms.
“Nobody gets the right to play for a national side because that should be an honour and a privilege, and that needs to align with the people who are performing.
“We want to make sure we got almost an oversupply of young players coming through, and as and when there is an opportunity for them to play, then they can just fit in.
“Internally we have some plans and actions around the visions as a team. We know where we want to get to.”
Fahad Nawaz, 18, Rahul Bhatia, 19, and UK-based duo Yodhin Punja, 19, and Jonathan Figy, 17 are direct beneficiaries of the ECB's approach and all have gone on to represent the national team at age group.
At 16 Punja became the youngest player to represent the UAE senior team, against Hong Kong IN 2016, in both First Class and one-day internationals, while Nawaz and Bhatia have previously been included in the senior squad but are yet to play.
"Fahad has been in the system and he's been involved in the last 3-4 months," Brown said after seeing the senior team lose a one-off T20 International to Australia at the Abu Dhabi Oval on Monday.
“He’s coming on really well as a young player. That really is exciting for me because we have some really good young players like Yodhin, who has just got into the MCCU [Maryleborne Cricket Club University] system.
“Jonathan and Rahul are the other two. These four are players we know are moving forward. It’s very important we give these guys the opportunities which is to get involved in the professional setup because the more they get involved the quicker they learn.”
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Read more:
Beaten UAE impress Australia with spirit in Twenty20 clash in Abu Dhabi
Dougie Brown hopes for good turnout when UAE face Australia in T20 match
UAE's Rahul Bhatia hoping to follow in the footsteps of another bespectacled cricket teenager
England experience primes UAE hope Jonathan Figy for bright future
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Previously many young cricketers had to leave the country because of immigration rules stipulating those over the age of 18 were not permitted to remain in the country under the sponsorship of their parents unless they enrolled in a university based in the UAE.
Chirag Suri, 23, who has established himself as an opening batsman for the national team, is the only player to remain in the country from the UAE’s U19 World Cup squad which the UAE hosted in 2014.
Punja joined Cardiff Metropolitan University in September and Figy moved to Winchester College on a cricket scholarship last year.
“We know the system they are in and the standard of cricket they are playing,” added Brown, a former England and Scotland all-rounder.
“We touch base with their coaches. In the case of Yodhin, I can touch base with the coaches in the UK whom I know, to put together a programme we can both be working towards [to help] their development over the course of the next two or three years.
“And in-between we are hopeful they will come back to the UAE as and when holidays permit, to get involved, firstly in domestic cricket and secondly to be in a professional environment that we are going to have.
“We do have to see younger players coming in and need to find them a platform to get involved in a professional environment. That’s what we are trying to do, try and professionalise cricket in the UAE."
Following Monday's seven-wicket defeat to Australia in the capital, the UAE next T20 assignment sees them take on New Zealand on Sunday.
“Then we’ll be working towards our own domestic T10 and the T20 competitions and prepare for the Emerging Teams Nations Cup, which is another opportunity to play some really high quality opposition,” Brown said.
“That’s going to be sometime in December but it’s still to be confirmed. But any opportunity to play against teams better than us is to our advantage. That’s where we learn.”
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Also in this episode:
- Dougie Brown and Ahmed Raza air their views on the UAE's Twenty20 match against Australia in Abu Dhabi.
- Can the Australians sort out their issues before the all-important home series against India? We discuss.
- We also take a look at how the UAE will benefit from the ICC's restructuring of one-day internationals.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo and dual electric motors
Power: 300hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 520Nm at 1,500-3,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.0L/100km
Price: from Dh199,900
On sale: now
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
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6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Empire of Enchantment: The Story of Indian Magic
John Zubrzycki, Hurst Publishers
QUARTER-FINAL
Wales 20-19 France
Wales: T: Wainwright, Moriarty. Cons: Biggar (2) Pens: Biggar 2
France: T: Vahaamahina, Ollivon, Vakatawa Cons: Ntamack (2)
The view from The National
The results of the first round are as follows:
Qais Saied (Independent): 18.4 per cent
Nabil Karoui (Qalb Tounes): 15.58 per cent
Abdelfattah Mourou (Ennahdha party): 12.88 per cent
Abdelkarim Zbidi (two-time defence minister backed by Nidaa Tounes party): 10.7 per cent
Youssef Chahed (former prime minister, leader of Long Live Tunisia): 7.3 per cent
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 582bhp
Torque: 730Nm
Price: Dh649,000
On sale: now
Emirates exiles
Will Wilson is not the first player to have attained high-class representative honours after first learning to play rugby on the playing fields of UAE.
Jonny Macdonald
Abu Dhabi-born and raised, the current Jebel Ali Dragons assistant coach was selected to play for Scotland at the Hong Kong Sevens in 2011.
Jordan Onojaife
Having started rugby by chance when the Jumeirah College team were short of players, he later won the World Under 20 Championship with England.
Devante Onojaife
Followed older brother Jordan into England age-group rugby, as well as the pro game at Northampton Saints, but recently switched allegiance to Scotland.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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THE BIO
Ms Davison came to Dubai from Kerala after her marriage in 1996 when she was 21-years-old
Since 2001, Ms Davison has worked at many affordable schools such as Our Own English High School in Sharjah, and The Apple International School and Amled School in Dubai
Favourite Book: The Alchemist
Favourite quote: Failing to prepare is preparing to fail
Favourite place to Travel to: Vienna
Favourite cuisine: Italian food
Favourite Movie : Scent of a Woman
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: from Dh155,000
On sale: now
MORE ON THE US DEMOCRATIC PRIMARIES
How it works
1) The liquid nanoclay is a mixture of water and clay that aims to convert desert land to fertile ground
2) Instead of water draining straight through the sand, it apparently helps the soil retain water
3) One application is said to last five years
4) The cost of treatment per hectare (2.4 acres) of desert varies from $7,000 to $10,000 per hectare
Huroob Ezterari
Director: Ahmed Moussa
Starring: Ahmed El Sakka, Amir Karara, Ghada Adel and Moustafa Mohammed
Three stars
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Aaron Finch, Matt Renshaw, Brendan Doggett, Michael Neser, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (captain), Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Jon Holland, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle
If you go
The flights
Return flights from Dubai to Santiago, via Sao Paolo cost from Dh5,295 with Emirates.
The trip
A five-day trip (not including two days of flight travel) was split between Santiago and in Puerto Varas, with more time spent in the later where excursions were organised by TurisTour.
When to go
The summer months, from December to February are best though there is beauty in each season
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Scores in brief:
Boost Defenders 205-5 in 20 overs
(Colin Ingram 84 not out, Cameron Delport 36, William Somerville 2-28)
bt Auckland Aces 170 for 5 in 20 overs
(Rob O’Donnell 67 not out, Kyle Abbott 3-21).
Day 2, stumps
Pakistan 482
Australia 30/0 (13 ov)
Australia trail by 452 runs with 10 wickets remaining in the innings
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand
UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less