United Arab Emirates national cricket team
The popularity of the game declined after independence in 1971; however, when South Asians began settling in the country, they brought with them a wish to play cricket.The Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium hosted its first international event in 1984 when India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka contested the Asia Cup.These heavy defeats showed that much work needed to be done if the UAE were to be successful in the 1994 ICC Trophy and the ECB adopted a controversial policy.[7] With just one native Arab selected in the shape of Sultan Zarawani, who captained the side, the UAE won the trophy and thus qualified for the 1996 World Cup.[7] The UAE had beaten Kenya in the final,[12] and the Kenyan players and cricket board were very vocal in their anger at being defeated by what they and other observers described as a team of imported mercenaries.The year was a busy one for the UAE cricketers as they played the first Intercontinental Cup match against Nepal, with Ali Asad taking nine wickets in the first innings.[15] They beat Hong Kong in the final of the 2006 ACC Trophy, but began their 2006 ICC Intercontinental Cup campaign with an innings defeat by Namibia.[16] The team fared better in Division Two of the World Cricket League in Windhoek in 2007, winning the tournament after beating Oman in the final.[8] The UAE hosted and were runners-up at the 2009 ACC Twenty20 Cup, losing the final to Afghanistan, after winning four group matches and accounting for Oman in their semi-final.[24] The team registered their highest ODI total ever at the 2015 Cricket World Cup in a group stage match played against Zimbabwe in Nelson, New Zealand.[29] This lists all the active players who have played for United Arab Emirates in the past 12 months or have been part of the latest ODI or T20I squad.The following are the main cricket stadiums in UAE: International match summary – United Arab Emirates[36][37] Last updated 21 December 2024.