Sharjah: Efforts are on to unearth cricket umpires in the UAE. The Sharjah Cricket Council has decided to organise an Umpires Level O course from July 2.
"Over 1,500 matches are held every season all over the UAE and it will be good to create a bank of qualified umpires. It is also important to have fresh umpires.
"Sharjah Cricket Council alone hosts 500 matches every season and we need more qualified umpires," said Mazhar Khan, the Administrator of Emirates Cricket Board and secretary of the Sharjah Cricket Council.
"Our three Asian Cricket Council's Level 3 tutors Farid Malek, Iftikhar Ali and Fidel Jaary from New Zealand will conduct the course until July 7 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. These umpires have abundance of experience in domestic and international tournaments. We have decided not to charge any fees for the course and it is open to all enthusiasts of the game, school teachers and former cricketers," added Khan.
Elaborating on the course, Malek, who is UAE's most experienced umpire having officiated in many international matches, said: "We will teach all the 42 laws of the game and its various interpretations to the participants. It is not on the laws alone that we will focus but also on what is an umpire and his duties and what is the mental make-up needed to be a good umpire."
The course will begin on Friday from 4.30pm. "On working days the course will be from 7.30pm to 10.30pm. At the end of the course we will conduct an examination in English and Urdu. The test in Urdu is for those who are not fluent in English but are keen to become umpires," added Malek. Ali and Jaary have won the UAE's outstanding umpires' award and are familiar with the conditions in this region. For registration contact Mansour Pasha on 050 5769006.
