Dubai: Mohammad Redha Abbas, the chief selector of the UAE cricket team and executive member of the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), admits there is no guarantee that a cricketer groomed in academies here will go on to represent the UAE.
Speaking to Gulf News, Abbas said: “Most of the players training at these academies are from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The majority of them return to their country and we do not get them to represent our country.
“Some parents who can afford to teach their children in top universities too fly them to other countries and hence we lose promising players. The academies here are doing a good job but that doesn’t necessarily benefit the UAE due to these factors.”
Abbas feels that the solution to this problem is for more UAE nationals to take up the sport. When the UAE played at this year’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, only two members of the squad — captain Mohammad Tauqir and Fahd Al Hashemi — were Emiratis.
“UAE nationals should come to train in these academies. Only then we can be sure they will represent the UAE. Today all academies are filled with foreigners whose future could be in any country,” he said.
“Except for a few examples like Shiva Pagarani, who was born and brought up in the UAE and stayed on in this country despite being an Indian, there aren’t many here. I hear that some UAE nationals in Al Ain have opted to practice cricket and academies should encourage them as they will surely benefit the UAE if they become good players.”
Abbas added: “Every academy should be brought under each [governing cricket] council. There is a need for greater control as councils should know who is coaching whom and about his skills.”
