For the first time in UAE's history an all Emirati team for T20
Date
4/5/2015 11:40:55 PM
(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Former Australian star Dean Jones backs novel idea at 22-day event
Abdul Rehman Falaknaz chairman of the Dubai Cricket Council and Asif Ali Khan Durrani Pakistan Ambassador to the UAE with the trophies at the SuperStars T20 Press conference in Dubai on Saturday. — KT photo by Leslie Pableo
Dubai — The participation of an all-Emirati team — the first in the history of the UAE cricket — will be the highlight of the United Reale Group SuperStars T20 cricket 12-team tournament beginning on April 10 at The Sevens stadium here.
Emirati Emperors made up of all Emirati players will compete for glory with Globelink Weststar Shipping Kochi Islanders Alubond Hyderbad Nawabs Danube Mumbai Warriors Ibsons Sialkot Sharks Al Faraa Al Ain Super Kings Interface Delhi Mughals GMW Sharjah Royal Challengers Filli Cafe Kasaragod Super Stars Bassali Jahnian Tigers (Pakistan) Fly Emirates and Hamdani Group Rawalpindi Royals being the other teams in fray for the title of the tournament final for which will be held on May 1.
“With Dh100000 in prize money UAE’s top teams in title fray and an all-Emirati outfit it promises to be exciting 22 days of cricket” said Rahul Dalwale one of the organisers at the function to announce the draw of the T20 event.
The novel idea found a lot of support from the dignitaries with former Australian cricketer Dean Jones who was one of the guests at the draw ceremony also giving it a big thumbs up.
“The UAE need this type of competition. It’s foolish to expect the youngsters to perform well against the top teams. Exposures in local competition will help the Emiratis to raise their level. I think it’s a good move to get the local angle into this tournament” Jones said.
Abdul Rehman Falaknaz chairman of Dubai Cricket Council (DCC) also one of the organisers fully backed the novel concept of a team of UAE locals.
“The UAE is the only Arab country which competed at the 2015 Cricket World Cup. Our players performed well and it is good to see an all-Emirati team in this competition. I think cricket will flourish in the UAE soon’’ he said.
Sialkot Nawabs Islanders and Fly Emirates form Group A Sharjah Al Ain Emperors and Tigers comprise Group B with Mumbai Rawalpindi Kasaragod and Delhi making up Group C. The top six teams will qualify for the quarterfinals with the team with best net run rate going directly into the final and remaining two playing the semifinals.
Wings Ahmedabad Aces won the last edition of the event and the team has been disbanded but Dalwale is confident of another successful show.
“We feel proud to announce that two teams — Jahnian Tigers and Rawalpindo Royals — are travelling from Pakistan to take part in this tournament. We created history when we awarded a car which was the biggest individual prize in the history of UAE domestic cricket three years ago. We have a vision to not only promote cricket in UAE but to take it to other Arab nations. And introducing An all Emirati team is a first step towards the goal” he added.
Abdul Azim Ansari MD WebChannel; Arun Kumar CEO United Real Corp; Asif Ali Khan Durrani Pakistan Ambassador to UAE; Muhammad Majid Gereban and Amin Farooq DCC secretaries were also present.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.