A transformation is underway in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) T20 cricket team, driven by a vision of re-establishing themselves as a leading Associate Member on the global stage. The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) leads them with an aspiration to consistently compete with top-rated Associate teams like Ireland, Netherlands and Scotland. Victories on the global stage are aimed towards igniting UAE’s passion for cricket and ensuring regular qualification for major ICC events without going through qualification tournaments. The UAE aims to become a formidable force in Asian cricket by focusing on developing all-round cricketers and moving up the ICC T20 rankings. Heinrich Malan is the head coach who will lead UAE’s new coaching staff but faces some challenges of inconsistency to deal with as well as strong competition. The UAE wants to make it far in the 2024 World Cup T20, capitalising on its talent pool and creating a solid unit while looking out for new players who can turn them into rising stars.
| Player Name | Speciality | Age |
| Muhammad Waseem | Opening Batter | 30 |
| Vriitya Aravind | Wicketkeeper Batter | 21 |
| Basil Hameed | Middle order Batter | 31 |
| Rahul Chopra | Wicketkeeper Batter | 29 |
| Alishan Sharafu | Opening Batter | 21 |
| Tanish Suri | Wicketkeeper Batter | 18 |
| Ashwanth Valthapa | Wicketkeeper Batter | 22 |
| Aayan Afzal Khan | Bowling Allrounder | 18 |
| Nilansh Keswani | All-rounder | 20 |
| Ali Naseer | All-rounder | 19 |
| Akif Raja | Bowler | 31 |
| Aryan Lakra | Bowler | 22 |
| Hazrat Luqman | Bowler | 34 |
| Junaid Siddique | Bowler | 31 |
| Muhammad Zuhaib | Bowler | 20 |
| Omid Shafi Rahman | Bowler | 19 |
Read Also: England T20 Cricket Team || Pakistan T20 Cricket Team || West Indies T20 Cricket Team
UAE T20 Cricket Team
Muhammad Waseem
Muhammad Waseem is one among many prominent batters who play opening cricket. Besides being a right-handed batter he also contributes right-arm medium bowling. This makes him extremely flexible since his versatility enables him to provide important services such as batting at the number one slot and offering himself as an option as a bowler.
| Batting | ||
| T20Is | T20s | |
| Matches | 52 | 65 |
| Runs | 1877 | 2199 |
| Innings | 52 | 65 |
| Not Out | 3 | 5 |
| Balls Faced | 1222 | 1446 |
| High Score | 112 | 112 |
| Average | 38.3 | 36.65 |
| Strike Rate | 153.6 | 152.07 |
| Bowling | ||
| T20Is | T20s | |
| Matches | 52 | 65 |
| Balls | 59 | 59 |
| Innings | 7 | 7 |
| Runs | 96 | 96 |
| Wickets | 5 | 5 |
| Average | 19.2 | 19.2 |
| Strike Rate | 11.8 | 11.8 |
Vriitya Aravind
Vriitya Aravind, aged 21 years is a world-renowned player of cricket, serving Oman’s wicketkeeping-batting roles and has been identified as having great potential for the future because he plays right-hand bat.
| Batting | ||
| T20Is | T20s | |
| Matches | 48 | 48 |
| Runs | 1052 | 1052 |
| Innings | 43 | 43 |
| Not Out | 5 | 5 |
| Balls Faced | 936 | 936 |
| High Score | 97 | 97 |
| Average | 27.68 | 27.68 |
| Strike Rate | 112.39 | 112.39 |
Basil Hameed
Basil Hameed is an active cricketer known for his expertise in batting right-handed hits while making use of off-break using his right-hand arm. He can easily become an effective contributor from the batting order, adding depth to his team’s batting lineup.
| Batting | ||
| T20Is | T20s | |
| Matches | 56 | 62 |
| Runs | 679 | 679 |
| Innings | 47 | 47 |
| Not Out | 13 | 13 |
| Balls Faced | 563 | 563 |
| High Score | 51 | 51 |
| Average | 19.97 | 18.68 |
| Strike Rate | 120.6 | 119.73 |
| Bowling | ||
| T20Is | T20s | |
| Matches | 56 | 62 |
| Balls | 418 | 418 |
| Innings | 31 | 31 |
| Runs | 487 | 487 |
| Wickets | 30 | 30 |
| Average | 16.23 | 16.23 |
| Strike Rate | 13.9 | 13.9 |
Also Read: Ireland T20 Cricket Team || Afghanistan T20 Cricket Team || India T20 Cricket Team
Rahul Chopra
Rahul Chopra also is a right-arm batsman who keeps wickets for his team. He supports by scoring valuable runs with the bat and is known for being solid behind the stumps hence he doubles as a wicket-keeper batter.
| Batting | ||
| T20Is | T20s | |
| Matches | 3 | 3 |
| Runs | 16 | 48 |
| Innings | 2 | 8 |
| Not Out | 0 | 3 |
| Balls Faced | 30 | 70 |
| High Score | 14 | 20 |
| Average | 8 | 9.6 |
| Strike Rate | 53.33 | 68.57 |
Alishan Sharafu
Alishan Sharafu is a cricketer known for his ability to open the batting. Oman’s line-up consists of this player who uses his right-hand technique, offering stability and aggression in his batting style. Further, his medium-pace right-arm bowling gives Oman options in other areas of the game.
| Batting | ||
| T20Is | T20s | |
| Matches | 26 | 37 |
| Runs | 532 | 752 |
| Innings | 23 | 34 |
| Not Out | 6 | 7 |
| Balls Faced | 399 | 582 |
| High Score | 90 | 90 |
| Average | 31.29 | 27.85 |
| Strike Rate | 133.33 | 129.2 |
Tanish Suri
Tanish Suri plays outstanding cricket as well, in particular, when he puts on gloves while fielding as he prefers a right-handed batsman stance.
| Batting | ||
| T20Is | T20s | |
| Matches | 7 | 8 |
| Runs | 77 | 82 |
| Innings | 7 | 8 |
| Not Out | 1 | 2 |
| Balls Faced | 85 | 87 |
| High Score | 37 | 37 |
| Average | 12.83 | 13.66 |
| Strike Rate | 90.58 | 94.25 |
Ashwanth Valthapa
Ashwanth Valthapa is only 22 years old but already a talented batsman keeping wicket for his side being left-handed. This adds flexibility to the system because Valthapa shows an impressive ability to play different shots while making him flexible.
| Batting | ||
| T20Is | T20s | |
| Matches | 1 | 1 |
| Runs | 5 | 5 |
| Innings | 1 | 1 |
| Not Out | 0 | 0 |
| Balls Faced | 12 | 12 |
| High Score | 5 | 5 |
| Average | 5 | 5 |
| Strike Rate | 41.66 | 41.66 |
Aayan Afzal Khan
Aayan Afzal Khan is also another good all-rounder but plays as a bowler more than anything else. Aaran Khan can perform effectively with both bat and ball at different times depending on the situation of the game since he has been regarded as an excellent all-rounder capable of changing games in one way or another.
| Batting | ||
| T20Is | T20s | |
| Matches | 32 | 40 |
| Runs | 159 | 170 |
| Innings | 16 | 18 |
| Not Out | 4 | 5 |
| Balls Faced | 172 | 190 |
| High Score | 42 | 42 |
| Average | 13.25 | 13.07 |
| Strike Rate | 92.44 | 89.47 |
| Bowling | ||
| T20Is | T20s | |
| Matches | 32 | 40 |
| Balls | 662 | 763 |
| Innings | 31 | 38 |
| Runs | 639 | 754 |
| Wickets | 32 | 38 |
| Average | 19.96 | 19.84 |
| Strike Rate | 20.6 | 20 |
Nilansh Keswani
Nilansh Keswani, a cricket all-rounder, is known for being a left-handed batsman and slow left-arm orthodox bowler. In cricket, he is an all-rounder who can contribute with both the bat and ball, making him a valuable asset to any team.
| Batting | ||
| T20Is | T20s | |
| Matches | 9 | 11 |
| Runs | 51 | 56 |
| Innings | 5 | 6 |
| Not Out | 4 | 4 |
| Balls Faced | 48 | 56 |
| High Score | 31 | 31 |
| Average | 51 | 28 |
| Strike Rate | 106.25 | 100 |
| Bowling | ||
| T20Is | T20s | |
| Matches | 9 | 11 |
| Balls | 210 | 215 |
| Innings | 9 | 10 |
| Runs | 251 | 261 |
| Wickets | 9 | 9 |
| Average | 27.88 | 29 |
| Strike Rate | 23.3 | 23.8 |
Ali Naseer
Ali Naseer has been a versatile player in Oman’s T20 cricket squad. The kind of flair and aggression that he brings to the crease as a left-hander makes him very capable of either anchoring an innings or playing explosive cameos when necessary. While bowling medium pace right arm, Naseer adds substance to the team’s bowling attack and occasionally gets breakthroughs at crunch times.
| Batting | ||
| T20Is | T20s | |
| Matches | 24 | 30 |
| Runs | 216 | 299 |
| Innings | 16 | 20 |
| Not Out | 4 | 7 |
| Balls Faced | 171 | 239 |
| High Score | 48 | 63 |
| Average | 18 | 23 |
| Strike Rate | 126.31 | 125.1 |
| Bowling | ||
| T20Is | T20s | |
| Matches | 24 | 30 |
| Balls | 511 | 541 |
| Innings | 24 | 26 |
| Runs | 651 | 690 |
| Wickets | 32 | 33 |
| Average | 20.34 | 20.9 |
| Strike Rate | 15.9 | 16.3 |
Akif Raja
Akif Raja is very well known for his skills in medium fast right-arm batting as well as left-handed batting abilities. Being primarily a bowler; he provides versatility on the field by also being able to contribute effectively with both bat and ball.
| Batting | ||
| T20Is | T20s | |
| Matches | 18 | 28 |
| Runs | 74 | 80 |
| Innings | 6 | 9 |
| Not Out | 74 | 80 |
| Balls Faced | 64 | 76 |
| High Score | 28 | 28 |
| Average | 37 | 20 |
| Strike Rate | 115.62 | 105.26 |
| Bowling | ||
| T20Is | T20s | |
| Matches | 18 | 28 |
| Balls | 300 | 421 |
| Innings | 17 | 25 |
| Runs | 427 | 612 |
| Wickets | 14 | 19 |
| Average | 30.5 | 32.21 |
| Strike Rate | 21.4 | 22.1 |
Aryan Lakra
Aryan Lakra from the United Arab Emirates is known for having slow left-arm orthodox bowling and left-handed batting skills. His main role during play is that of a bowler where his expertise materials on the ground.
| Batting | ||
| T20Is | T20s | |
| Matches | 10 | 13 |
| Runs | 114 | 118 |
| Innings | 10 | 11 |
| Not Out | 2 | 3 |
| Balls Faced | 107 | 112 |
| High Score | 63 | 63 |
| Average | 14.25 | 14.75 |
| Strike Rate | 106.54 | 105.35 |
| Bowling | ||
| T20Is | T20s | |
| Matches | 10 | 13 |
| Balls | 42 | 44 |
| Innings | 3 | 4 |
| Runs | 46 | 54 |
| Wickets | 2 | 2 |
| Average | 23 | 27 |
| Strike Rate | 21 | 22 |
Hazrat Luqman
Hazrat Luqman plays as an important bowler in the team but he is popularly named due to his abilities in right-hand batting and right-arm medium-pace bowling. This means that although his primary focus lies upon his outstanding city in bowling, it should not be disregarded that Hazrat’s contribution through batting does not happen just like that.
| Batting | ||
| T20Is | T20s | |
| Matches | 2 | 2 |
| Runs | 8 | 8 |
| Innings | 1 | 1 |
| Not Out | 0 | 0 |
| Balls Faced | 6 | 6 |
| High Score | 8 | 8 |
| Average | 8 | 8 |
| Strike Rate | 133.33 | 133.33 |
| Bowling | ||
| T20Is | T20s | |
| Matches | 2 | 2 |
| Balls | 36 | 36 |
| Innings | 2 | 2 |
| Runs | 60 | 60 |
| Wickets | 1 | 1 |
| Average | 60 | 60 |
| Strike Rate | 36 | 36 |
Junaid Siddique
Junaid Siddique is from Bangladesh and happens to be a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler respectively. Siddique has shown his skill with the bat in different forms of competition.
| Batting | ||
| T20Is | T20s | |
| Matches | 54 | 57 |
| Runs | 68 | 69 |
| Innings | 19 | 20 |
| Not Out | 10 | 11 |
| Balls Faced | 72 | 75 |
| High Score | 18 | 18 |
| Average | 7.55 | 7.66 |
| Strike Rate | 94.44 | 92 |
| Bowling | ||
| T20Is | T20s | |
| Matches | 54 | 57 |
| Balls | 1193 | 1223 |
| Innings | 54 | 57 |
| Runs | 1502 | 1537 |
| Wickets | 69 | 71 |
| Average | 21.76 | 21.64 |
| Strike Rate | 17.2 | 17.2 |
Muhammad Zuhaib
Muhammad Zuhaib comes from Oman which serves as an indication of how much this player helps the country’s team especially as far as using different tactics is concerned.
| Batting | ||
| T20Is | T20s | |
| Matches | 2 | 10 |
| Runs | 13 | 17 |
| Innings | 1 | 3 |
| Not Out | 0 | 2 |
| Balls Faced | 9 | 17 |
| High Score | 13 | 13 |
| Average | 13 | 17 |
| Strike Rate | 144.44 | 100 |
| Bowling | ||
| T20Is | T20s | |
| Matches | 2 | 10 |
| Balls | 36 | 168 |
| Innings | 2 | 10 |
| Runs | 48 | 221 |
| Wickets | 0 | 11 |
| Average | – | 20.09 |
| Strike Rate | – | 15.2 |
Omid Shafi Rahman
Omid Shafi Rahman bats with his right hand while bowling right-arm medium pace. He hails from Oman and has a variety of skills that make him a great asset to his team. His right-handed batting makes the batting line-up stable as well as aggressive.
| Batting | ||
| T20Is | T20s | |
| Matches | 3 | 3 |
| Runs | 0 | 0 |
| Innings | 1 | 1 |
| Not Out | 0 | 0 |
| Balls Faced | 6 | 6 |
| High Score | 0 | 0 |
| Average | 0 | 0 |
| Strike Rate | 0 | 0 |
| Bowling | ||
| T20Is | T20s | |
| Matches | 3 | 3 |
| Balls | 52 | 52 |
| Innings | 3 | 3 |
| Runs | 42 | 42 |
| Wickets | 5 | 5 |
| Average | 8.4 | 8.4 |
| Strike Rate | 10.4 | 10.4 |
UAE T20 Cricket Team Winning Records
| Team | Opposition | Span | Total Matches | Won | Lost | No Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Arab Emirates | Canada | 2019 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| United Arab Emirates | Qatar | 2020 – 2023 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| United Arab Emirates | Afghanistan | 2015 – 2024 | 12 | 3 | 9 | 0 |
| United Arab Emirates | Zimbabwe | 2014 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| United Arab Emirates | Hong Kong | 2016 – 2023 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| United Arab Emirates | Namibia | 2021 – 2022 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| United Arab Emirates | Germany | 2022 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| United Arab Emirates | India | 2016 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| United Arab Emirates | New Zealand | 2023 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| United Arab Emirates | Pakistan | 2016 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| United Arab Emirates | Sri Lanka | 2016 – 2022 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| United Arab Emirates | Oman | 2015 – 2023 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| United Arab Emirates | Singapore | 2022 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| United Arab Emirates | South Arabia | 2020 – 2023 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| United Arab Emirates | Jersey | 2019 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| United Arab Emirates | Bangladesh | 2016 – 2022 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| United Arab Emirates | Nigeria | 2019 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| United Arab Emirates | Netherlands | 2014 – 2022 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| United Arab Emirates | Iran | 2020 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| United Arab Emirates | Ireland | 2014 – 2022 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 |
| United Arab Emirates | Australia | 2018 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| United Arab Emirates | United States of America | 2019 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| United Arab Emirates | Kuwait | 2020 – 2024 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| United Arab Emirates | Papua New Guinea | 2017 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| United Arab Emirates | Cambodia | 2024 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| United Arab Emirates | Bahrain | 2022 – 2024 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| United Arab Emirates | Nepal | 2019 – 2024 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| United Arab Emirates | Scotland | 2015 – 2024 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
UAE T20 Cricket Team World Cup Records
| Year | Total Matches | Won | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 – 2014 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 2022 – 2023 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
UAE T20 Cricket Team Coach
Under the captainship of Lalchand Rajput, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) T20 cricket team intends to display a strong performance during the 2024 World Cup. A former Indian cricketer and one-time successful coach in different domestic league teams as well as national sides is expected to bring much experience on board.
Head Coach
Lalchand Rajput: Appointed in February 2024, Rajput brings vast experience from his playing days with the Indian national team and various coaching stints. In previous teams he has coached, he has succeeded by ensuring discipline within his units, planning tactically before games commence and taking a holistic approach.
Heinrich Malan: Appointed in 2024, Malan brings a wealth of experience as a former South African batsman and a successful T20 coach in various domestic leagues around the world. He focuses on aggressive batting instincts, developing a winning team culture and capitalising on opposition weaknesses; thus making him a sharp, sharp-minded person.
Fielding Coach – Mohammad Yousuf
In 2022, Yousuf became the Fielding Coach after having played as a player for UAE and was highly rated for his athleticism and sharp fielding skills. The practice sessions on fielding, drills of anticipation and fostering a strong catching culture have led to improvement of UAE’s fielding performance.
