Kapil Dev goes out to bat for cricket at UAE schools

The former Indian captain tells the Emirates that they need to nurture young cricketing talent in schools.

Kapil Dev, the former Indian cricket captain, at the Lotus Hotel Deira in Dubai.

DUBAI // UAE schools should promote cricket so talented players can be identified early on, according to one of India's best-known players of the game. Kapil Dev, 50, who led his country to its only World Cup victory in 1983, told a press conference here that the UAE's efforts to develop a world-class team would depend a lot on the popularity of the sport.

Dev was in the UAE this weekend as a goodwill ambassador for a cricket tournament organised in Abu Dhabi by the embassies of South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation member nations. Most of the UAE's current cricket team comprises Indian, Sri Lankan and Pakistani nationals. Only a few Emirati players are regularly called up to the squad. "Cricket should be introduced and encouraged in all schools of the UAE," said Dev, who since his playing days has devoted his time to nurturing young cricketing talent in India.

"The popularity of the sport around the world is very encouraging and as a cricketer I would like to see the sport progress and more youngsters playing." Dev, who remarked during a visit to the UAE last year that cricket could soon be as popular as football in the region, said the most promising talent should be identified young, and that would come from promoting the game in schools. "I can say that the region is progressing in cricket and it should be encouraged in all possible ways."

The UAE team did not qualify for the forthcoming World Cup and has yet to gain one-day international status. However, its progress has been recognised, and the new Dubai Sports City stadium recently hosted the Australia-Pakistan international tournament. Dev said he was concerned, however, that the Indian Premier League being played in South Africa at the moment would tire players who should be preparing for the Twenty20 World Cup in England next month.

"The World Cup will tell us if the IPL was good for the players. It is tiring to play matches every day," he said. Asked about the glamorous touches - the use of cheerleaders and the presence of Bollywood starlets at the matches - Dev replied: "The prime minister has attended matches before, so there is no need to criticise Bollywood." [e-mail]