ICC keen on making easier pathways for UAE cricketers to play in UK

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is keen on expanding its wings in the global scene. They aspire to make the sport a popular one around the globe. One of their prime agenda is to help the non-Test playing nations like UAE grow in global stature. A very sound option of doing so is by making the resources of playing in leading cricket nations available to them.

As per the recent reports in Thenational.se, ICC is keen on making the pathways for the UAE cricketers to play in UK as overseas professionals. The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) is aiming to send some of their best centrally contracted players to the UK to play in club cricket games. The idea behind doing so is to make them get a feel of conditions in which they have not played before.

It is worth noting that some of the greats of the game like Adam Gilchrist, Viv Richards, and Shane Warne have spent their time playing in club cricket in UK during their earlier years. Interestingly, some of the UAE cricketers have already been trying to do so. Rameez Shehzad played some matches at the county academy in Durham. Young batsman Yodhin Punja secured a scholarship to attend school in South England.

UAE captain Rohan Mustafa to benefit from the plan

Also, Jonathan Figy, tipped as the best young prospect, left Abu Dhabi to play in England with a scholarship. The current team captain, Rohan Mustafa, was expected to play in Birmingham this year but failed to do so due to a rejected visa.

The ECB is keen on seeing Mustafa progress well in his career and hence want him to play in club cricket as well. Will Glenwright, the ICC’s head of global development, is very much aware of the crisis that the players are facing and hence wishes to work on the issue too.

“It is on our radar, and is part of the high performance strategy we are developing. One aspect of that is to create opportunities where players from Associate members can more readily access and play in professional competitions in England, Australia, South Africa and the like,” quoted Glenwright.

“Whilst we are not specifically addressing that issue yet with the [England and Wales Cricket Board], it is on our radar and is part of the strategy we are developing. It is an issue that is bigger than cricket. It is a visa issue, but we do need to look at how we provide more access to elite professional competitions around the world,” he added further.