Muralitharan backs Arab boy's passion for cricket

Alawi Shukri Al Braik looks like any other cricket-loving teenager when he picks up a bat and ball.

The difference, however, is in his nationality: as a native of the UAE, he is in a definite minority in the cricketing world.

But his passion for the sport is not only raising eyebrows, but raising hopes too hopes of a bright future for Arab cricket.

Inspired by cricket in Sri Lanka, where his father has numerous business interests, Alawi's talent and devotion have brought him the captaincy of the Insportz Blue Team, based at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, for the continuing Nissan Gulf Cup.

"I started playing cricket when I was four when our Sri Lankan housemaid introduced me to the game. I used to watch all Sri Lanka's matches on television and thus Sri Lankan cricketers became my heroes," Alawi remarked.

"Though many of my friends said only Indians, Pakistanis and Sri Lankans play cricket, I was adamant to carry on playing," he added.

At the age of 11, Alawi asked his father to take him to South Africa for the 2001 Sri Lanka-South Africa series. Here, he was able to meet Muralitharan and Jayasuriya.

"I went up to them with a Sri Lankan flag and asked them to sign it. They were surprised to see an Arab boy with such a request. Muralitharan went out of his way to get the flag signed by all his teammates and gave it to me," Alawi revealed.

Years later, when Muralitharan came to play in Sharjah, Alawi met him again.

"Muralitharan immediately remembered me and accepted an invitation to my house for dinner. My love for the game impressed him and he contacted Sri Lankan coach Sunil Fernando to come here and coach me for two weeks. Thus I learned the basics from Fernando, who had coached players like Kumar Sangakkara."

Alawi has even inspired his father Shukri Al Braik to build a cricket stadium in Kandy. "This will be open in August 2005," Alawi said.

"I have been training under Shehzad Altaf at Insportz for three years. My aim is to one day captain the UAE in the World Cup," he said.