The UAE's qualification for both the Twenty20 and 50-over World Cups has been a fairy tale for a group of amateur players and a captain, Khurram Khan, who defies age.
It is a fantastic achievement but the key question remains: where does the UAE as a country go from here, with respect to cricket?
With official one-day international status until 2018, it is time to look at the future, invest in development and ensure the achievement of this group is not just short-term.
Cricket in the UAE is merely looked at as an expatriate hobby and not a domestic sport. As a result, this game does not receive the recognition it deserves.
It is critical for the Emirates Cricket Board to look at ways to change the way cricket is perceived. The only way to do this is to localise the sport by creating awareness among UAE nationals.
Emirati males probably account for only about 10 per cent of the total population – not very encouraging numbers, but that does not mean the governing body cannot try.
No one expects miracles. But what we expect is for the ECB to try to put in place an infrastructure to ensure the achievement of the current team can be used as a springboard for sustainable growth.
Even after qualifying for the World Cup and obtaining ODI status, the primary reason why cricket will never get the same attention football does is because Emiratis are not part of the sport.
This is not because of a lack of availability. A number of UAE nationals have represented the team over the past 10 to 15 years.
Over the past three years, an Emirati team has competed in the Gulf Cup tournament, winning the title twice against Oman.
If winning the Gulf Cup was possible with an Emirati-only team, then why are UAE nationals not considered capable to be a part of the senior team?
If the sport is not localised here, what has been achieved will only be a short-term win and we will be in the same situation we were in a few years ago, come 2018.
The following could be considered:
• Create a division within the ECB responsible for creating awareness of cricket in national schools, colleges and universities.
• Create an Emirati-only team to participate in domestic tournaments throughout the year. Give this team an opportunity to tour overseas and invite teams from overseas to play them.
• Create a UAE nationals academy where Emiratis can come and learn the sport.
• Make it mandatory for a minimum of three Emiratis to be part of the national squad at all times and play a minimum of two every game, at all levels (senior, Under 16 and U19).
During the U19 World Cup the UAE did not have a single Emirati player and lost all their games without putting up any sort of a fight.
So why not give nationals the exposure at this level? It will not have a drastic impact on the results that have been achieved by the current team.
Census estimates from 2005 showed there were over 100,000 male nationals between the age of 10-19 years. I find it hard to believe we cannot find one who is capable to representing the national team in this age group.
With World Cup qualification, ODI status and the additional financial funding likely to come with these achievements, these are logical suggestions that are by no means difficult to implement.
The only question is, do they have the desire to see cricket progress in this country or just maintain status quo?
Qais Farooq is a UAE national who has represented the UAE in several international cricket events.
sports@thenational.ae
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