The T20 World Cup in India will be the fifth time the UAE have appeared on the global stage across the sport’s two main events.
They are not quite mainstream yet, but at least increasingly recognisable on the big stage. They will be wearing a natty new blue-and-gold kit, as one of 20 countries playing in the World Cup of the international game’s fastest format. Which is all very modern, and a world away from where it all started.
The first World Cup, in 1975 in England, involved cricket’s six old elites – Australia, England, India, Pakistan, West Indies, and New Zealand – plus two invitees – East Africa and Sri Lanka. All wore whites, and innings were 60-overs per side.
The idea that the UAE might be invited would never have crossed anyone’s mind. The country, which was itself only four years old, did not yet have a single grass cricket field at the time.
Even suggesting the game was just starting to take root is a push. It had been played on British Army bases since the turn of the century, and informally among South Asian expatriates.
But it took the vision of an Emirati bus
Continue Reading on The National UAE
This preview shows approximately 15% of the article. Read the full story on the publisher's website to support quality journalism.