United Arab Emirates national cricket team

In 1892, cricket was introduced by the British Army in what is now the UAE, but was then known as the "Trucial States". The game spread during World War II, as personnel from the British Royal Air Force and other Commonwealth forces (which included first-class and club cricketers from Australia and New Zealand) stationed in cities such as Ajman, Al Ain, Dubai and Sharjah, continued their favourite pastime. The pitches installed by them around the air base in Sharjah were used by British and other foreign nationals after the war ended.[7]

Sharjah residents began playing the Dubai residents in the local derbies which were held in Dubai. The Garden city of Al Ain has the oldest cricket council in the whole of the UAE. The popularity of the game declined after independence in 1971; however, when South Asians began settling in the country, they brought with them a wish to play cricket. The local Arab population, educated in India and Pakistan, set up clubs and domestic tournaments began in the 1980s.[7]

The first match was played by the UAE national side in February 1976 against Pakistan International Airlines in Sharjah. The visitors scored 345/5 from their 50 overs and the UAE were on 88/4 from 28 overs when the game was abandoned due to rain.[7]

Wealthy locals began investing in the sport and an International standard cricket ground was constructed in Sharjah. The Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium hosted its first international event in 1984 when India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka contested the Asia Cup. The venue has gone on to host almost 200 ODIs[10] and four Test matches,[11] the Test matches having been held there due to security concerns in Pakistan.[7]

The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) was established in 1989[7] and gained affiliate membership of the ICC the same year. They were quickly promoted to associate member status the following year.[6] Also in 1990 the national side returned to action, twice losing heavily to the Netherlands. These heavy defeats showed that much work needed to be done if the UAE were to be successful in the 1994 ICC Trophy and the ECB adopted a controversial policy.[7]

Hoping to form a successful national side in time for the tournament in Kenya, the ECB attracted several players with first-class experience in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka to take up employment in the country so that they could satisfy the residential requirements to represent the UAE in the tournament.[7]

With just one native Arab selected in the shape of Sultan Zarawani, who captained the side, the UAE won the trophy and thus qualified for the 1996 World Cup.[7] UAE had beaten Kenya in the final,[12] and the Kenyan players and cricket board were very vocal in their anger at being defeated by what they and other observers described as a team of imported mercenaries.[7]

Whilst the ICC remained relatively silent on the controversy, the national team eligibility requirements were strongly tightened for all future ICC sanctioned tournaments.[7]

The UAE played their first ODIs in 1994 when they played against India and Pakistan in the Austral-Asia Cup, which they also hosted.[13] They finished last in a tri-series against Kenya and the Netherlands the same year and also finished last in a tournament against the A sides of India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in 1995. They returned to ODI cricket in the 1996 World Cup where they lost all matches except the one against the Netherlands, which was the first ever ODI between two associate members of the ICC.[6]

Later in 1996 the UAE were runners-up to Bangladesh in the first ACC Trophy. The tightened eligibility rules meant that they were unable to repeat their 1994 success when they finished tenth in the 1997 ICC Trophy in Malaysia.[6] They were beaten by Bangladesh in the semi-finals of the 1998 ACC Trophy.[14]

With Bangladesh being promoted to ICC full membership, the UAE began to establish themselves as the top associate side in Asia, though they often fell short against the top associates in Europe and North America, a position that remains to this day.[7] They won the ACC Trophy in 2000 and 2002, beating Hong Kong and Nepal in the respective finals, but finished fifth in the 2001 ICC Trophy in Canada.[6]

UAE hosted the 2004 ICC Six Nations Challenge and finished fifth, level on points with four other teams. The year was a busy one for the UAE cricketers as they played the first Intercontinental Cup match against Nepal, with Ali Asad taking nine wickets in the first innings. They beat Malaysia later in the tournament but lost to Canada in the semi-finals. They also won the ACC Trophy again, beating Oman in the final. They returned to ODI cricket, losing to India and Sri Lanka in the first round of the Asia Cup, and finished fourth in the Hong Kong Sixes, beating India and South Africa on the way.[6]

They reached the semi-finals of the ICC Intercontinental Cup again in 2005, also playing a series against England A at Sharjah, losing all four matches.[6] The 2005 ICC Trophy in Ireland saw them finish sixth.[15] They beat Hong Kong in the final of the 2006 ACC Trophy, but began their 2006 ICC Intercontinental Cup campaign with an innings defeat by Namibia. The campaign continued with a draw against Scotland and a defeat by Ireland, again by an innings. They finished fourth in the first ACC Twenty20 Cup in 2007.[6]

Their campaign in the 2007-08 ICC Intercontinental Cup was unsuccessful, with just one win against Bermuda in their seven matches.[16] Things went better for them in Division Two of the World Cricket League in Windhoek in 2007, winning the tournament after beating Oman in the final.[17]

They again played in the Asia Cup in 2008, losing to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the first round.[18] Their 2008 ACC Trophy Elite began with a shock defeat by Saudi Arabia, their first ACC Trophy defeat since the 1998 semi-final.[14] They lost to Hong Kong in the final, ending a run of four consecutive titles.[8]

The UAE hosted and were runners-up at the 2009 ACC Twenty20 Cup, losing the final to Afghanistan, after winning four group matches and accounting for Oman in their semi-final.[19]

In October 2010, the team announced that it had hired Kabir Khan to become its coach. Khan had great success with the Afghan team during his one-year stint as they became eligible to play ODIs. Kabir Khan also stated that his aim was to help UAE qualify for the 2012 ICC World Twenty20.[20]

In April 2011, the UAE hosted and won Division Two of the World Cricket League without losing a match.[21] In June/July 2011, they played Kenya at Nairobi for the first round of 2011–13 ICC Intercontinental Cup. In December, the UAE participated in the 2011 ACC Twenty20 Cup in Nepal.[22] Then in 2013, they traveled to Scotland to compete in the 2013 Cricket World Cup Qualifier, the final event of the 2009–13 World Cricket League.[23]

UAE finished third in the 2013 ACC Twenty20 Cup which after defeating Hong Kong in the play-off for third place. In November, they hosted 2013 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier and finished fourth after losing to Nepal in the play-off for third place, and qualified for the 2014 ICC World Twenty20, defeating the Netherlands by 10 runs in the quarter-final.

UAE participated in the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 but were unsuccessful in the tournament, going without a win. UAE finished second in the 2014 ACC Premier League and qualified for the 2014 ACC Championship. They also qualified for 2015 Cricket World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

UAE qualified to play in the Cricket World Cup after a lapse of almost twenty years. Unlike other teams in the tournament, the squad of players mainly consisted of semi-professionals.[24] The team registered their highest ODI total ever at the 2015 Cricket World Cup in a group stage match played against Zimbabwe in Nelson, New Zealand.[25] However, they failed to register a win and were eliminated from the 2015 Cricket World Cup with 6 losses out of 6 matches in Pool B.[26] They returned to T20 cricket in the 2022 World Cup where they lost all matches except the one against Namibia, which was the first ever T20 between two associate members of the ICC.

New Zealand toured UAE in August 2023 for a three match T20I series.[27] In the second T20I, UAE pulled off a stunning upset defeating New Zealand by 7 wickets.[28] It was UAE's first international win over New Zealand and also New Zealand's first defeat against an associate team.[29]

19 August 2023 18:00 (N) Scorecard

New Zealand  142/8 (20 overs)	v	United Arab Emirates 144/3 (15.4 overs)
Mark Chapman 63 (46) Aayan Afzal Khan 3/20 (4 overs)		Muhammad Waseem 55 (29) Mitchell Santner 1/26 (3 overs)

United Arab Emirates won by 7 wickets Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai Umpires: Aasif Iqbal (UAE) and Shiju Sam (UAE) Player of the match: Aayan Afzal Khan (UAE)

• United Arab Emirates won the toss and elected to field.
• This was United Arab Emirates's maiden victory against New Zealand in any format of cricket.[30]

• 1979 to 1986: Not eligible – Not an ICC member[6]
• 1990: Did not participate[42]
• 1994: Winners[6]
• 1997: 10th place[6]
• 2001: 5th place[6]
• 2005: 6th place[15]
• 2009: 7th place[43]
• 2014: Runner up (Qualified for 2015 Cricket World Cup)
• 2018: 6th place
• 2023: 9th place

• 2010: 3rd Place[44]
• 2013: 4th Place[45]
• 2015: 13th Place[46]
• 2019: 8th Place
• 2022 (A): Champions
• 2023 (T20 WC Asia Qualifier): Qualified

• 2004: Semi Finals[6]
• 2005: Semi Finals[6]
• 2006: First round[6]
• 2009–10 (Shield): 2nd place
• 2011–13: 4th place

• 2007 Division Two: Champions[17]
• 2009 World Cup Qualifier: 7th place
• 2011 Division Two: Champions
• 2011–13 WCL Championship: 3rd place
• 2018 Division Two: Champions

• 1983 to 1988: Not eligible – Not an ACC member[6]
• 1990/91: Did not participate[6]
• 1995: Did not participate[6]
• 1997: Did not qualify[6]
• 2000: Did not qualify[6]
• 2004: First round[6]
• 2008: First round[18]
• 2010: Did not qualify[6]
• 2012: Did not qualify[6]
• 2014: Did not qualify[6]
• 2016: First round, 5th place
• 2018: Did not qualify
• 2022: Did not qualify
• 2023: Did not qualify

• 2016: Winners (Qualified for 2016 Asia Cup)
• 2018: Runner up (failed to qualify)
• 2022: Runner up (failed to qualify)

• 2019: Did not participate
• 2020: Winner (Qualified for 2020 Asia Cup Qualifier)

• 2014: Qualified

• 2004: Runners-up
• 2005: Winners
• 2006: Runners-up

• 2014: Runners-up
• 2023: Runners-up

• 1996: Runners up[6]
• 1998: Semi Finals[14]
• 2000: Winners[6]
• 2002: Winners[6]
• 2004: Winners[6]
• 2006: Winners[6]
• 2008 (Elite): Runners up[8]
• 2010 (Elite): 6th place
• 2012: Winners (Shared trophy with Nepal)

• 2007: 4th place[6]
• 2009: Runners-up
• 2011: 5th place
• 2013: 3rd place

• Highest team total: 348/3 v. Namibia on 12 March 2022 at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah[49]
• Highest individual score: 151*, Asif Khan v. United States on 6 July 2023 at Takashinga Cricket Club, Harare[50]
• Best individual bowling figures: 6/34, Zahoor Khan v. Ireland on 2 March 2017 at ICC Academy 1, Dubai[51]

ODI record versus other nations[47]

Opponent	M	W	L	T	NR	First match	First win
v. Test nations
Afghanistan	6	3	3	0	0	2 May 2014	28 November 2014
Bangladesh	1	0	1	0	0	24 June 2008
England	1	0	1	0	0	18 February 1996
India	3	0	3	0	0	13 April 1994
Ireland	9	1	8	0	0	25 February 2015	8 January 2021
New Zealand	1	0	1	0	0	27 February 1996
Pakistan	3	0	3	0	0	17 April 1994
South Africa	2	0	2	0	0	16 February 1996
Sri Lanka	3	0	3	0	0	17 July 2004
West Indies	5	0	5	0	0	15 March 2015
Zimbabwe	6	1	5	0	0	19 February 2015	22 March 2018
v. Associate Members
Canada	1	1	0	0	0	1 April 2023	1 April 2023
Hong Kong	4	2	2	0	0	4 May 2014	4 May 2014
Jersey	1	1	0	0	0	5 April 2023	5 April 2023
Namibia	7	6	1	0	0	6 January 2020	6 January 2020
Nepal	15	6	9	0	0	30 August 2018	30 August 2018
Netherlands	1	1	0	0	0	1 March 1996	1 March 1996
Oman	8	3	4	1	0	5 January 2020	5 February 2022
Papua New Guinea	11	6	5	0	0	31 March 2017	31 March 2017
Scotland	13	4	9	0	0	1 February 2014	24 January 2017
United States	7	2	5	0	0	8 December 2019	4 June 2022

Records complete to ODI #4617. Last updated 6 July 2023.

• Highest team total: 199/5 v. Kuwait on 27 February 2020 at Oman Cricket Academy Ground Turf 1, Muscat[54]
• Highest individual score: 117*, Shaiman Anwar v. Papua New Guinea on 14 April 2017 at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi[55]
• Best individual bowling figures: 5/19, Ahmed Raza v. Nepal on 22 February 2022 at Oman Cricket Academy Ground Turf 1, Muscat[56]

T20I record versus other nations[48]

Opponent	M	W	L	T	NR	First match	First win
v. Test nations
Afghanistan	9	2	7	0	0	10 July 2015	19 February 2016
Australia	1	0	1	0	0	22 October 2018
Bangladesh	3	0	3	0	0	26 February 2016
India	1	0	1	0	0	3 March 2016
Ireland	11	7	4	0	0	19 March 2014	16 February 2016
New Zealand	3	1	2	0	0	17 August 2023	19 August 2023
Pakistan	1	0	1	0	0	29 February 2016
Sri Lanka	2	0	2	0	0	25 February 2016
Zimbabwe	1	0	1	0	0	21 March 2014
v. Associate Members
Bahrain	2	0	2	0	0	21 February 2022
Canada	1	1	0	0	0	27 October 2019	27 October 2019
Germany	1	1	0	0	0	19 February 2022	19 February 2022
Hong Kong	4	3	1	0	0	21 February 2016	21 February 2016
Iran	1	1	0	0	0	23 February 2020	23 February 2020
Jersey	1	0	1	0	0	22 October 2019
Kuwait	4	3	1	0	0	24 February 2020	24 February 2020
Namibia	2	1	1	0	0	5 October 2021	20 October 2022
Nepal	7	3	4	0	0	31 January 2019	31 January 2019
Netherlands	9	4	5	0	0	17 March 2014	3 August 2019
Nigeria	1	1	0	0	0	24 October 2019	24 October 2019
Oman	5	3	2	0	0	22 November 2015	22 November 2015
Papua New Guinea	3	3	0	0	0	12 April 2017	12 April 2017
Qatar	2	2	0	0	0	26 February 2020	26 February 2020
Saudi Arabia	2	2	0	0	0	25 February 2020	25 February 2020
Scotland	3	1	2	0	0	9 July 2015	4 February 2016
Singapore	1	1	0	0	0	22 August 2022	22 August 2022
United States	2	1	0	0	1	15 March 2019	16 March 2019

Records complete to T20I #2326. Last updated 23 October 2023.

• Highest team total: 330/9 v. Bermuda, 27 February 1994 at Nairobi Club Ground[59]
• Highest individual score: 126 not out by Azhar Saeed, 25 February 1994 at Aga Khan Sports Club Ground, Nairobi[60]
• Best innings bowling: 5/32 by Ahmed Nadeem v. USA, 1 July 2005 at The Meadow, Downpatrick[61]

• Highest team total: 459/4 v. Brunei,[7] 14 August 2006 at Kinrara Academy Oval, Kuala Lumpur[62]
• Highest individual score: 213 not out by Arshad Ali v. Brunei,[7] 14 August 2006 at Kinrara Academy Oval, Kuala Lumpur[62]
• Best innings bowling: 9/74 by Ali Asad v. Nepal,[7] 25 March 2004 at Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium[63]