Former West Indies allrounder Vasbert Drakes has been appointed as the new coach of the UAE cricket team.

"Drakes will replace Kabir Khan as the next coach,” said Mazhar Khan, the administrator of the Emirates Cricket Board. "Drakes will take charge of the team from May 10. He has been very successful as a coach after his playing days.”

Drakes, 38, will have a month to get the side ready before the Asia Cup in June.

Kabir Khan, the coach of the UAE cricket team, has stepped down to strengthen his coaching skills in Scotland.

"I have an opportunity to attend a Level-4 coaching course in Glasgow. The course is set to commence from May 1 and so I have asked the Emirates Cricket Board to relieve me of my duties."

"It was a great experience coaching the UAE team as it was my first assignment as a national team coach. There is lots of talent here but they can be a strong side if the cricket board can bring about some changes to their approach to the team."

"It is very important that the team is selected much ahead of an international tournament. The ECB officials should also try and provide basic facilities to the players like compensating them for the leave they take from their jobs."

Not have the ICC cut the number of Associates at the next World Cup from six to four at the behest of the hosts, but the Asian Cricket Council hopes that two of those slots will be taken by Asian counties.

"India beating Australia is very good for cricket in Asia and will encourage nations like Bangladesh, United Arab Emirates, China and Afghanistan," Ashraful Huq, a former secretary of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, told AFP. "I watched both the finals in Australia and was amazed how the young Indian team paid the Australians back, both on and off the field."

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The Emirates Cricket Board will host a women's Twenty20 tournament by the end of this month.

"This is part of our plans to attract women into the game at the grass-root level. We want to create as much opportunities for the women to play the game," Mazhar Khan, the administrator of the ECB, said. "This tournament will be held as soon as the school examinations get over. This event will be open for all schools, clubs and cricket academies."

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The number of people actively participating in cricket outside the Test-playing countries increased 17% in 2007, according to the ICC.

The research, carried out by the ICC's development program, was collated from 33 Associate and 58 Affiliate members. It showed that there were 338,051 male and female players in those countries in 2007, an increase of 49,158 on the previous year. Since 2002, when there were 144,047 participants, there has been a 135% rise.

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Lashings World XI will take on two sides in Twenty20 matches in Abu Dhabi this week. The lashings squad boasts a total of 471 Test caps between them and include Graeme Hick, Philip DeFreitas, Devon Malcolm, Ed Giddings, Chris Silverwood, Adam Hollioake, Marvan Atapattu, Dinesh Mongia, Chris Cairns and Grant Flower.

“I cannot tell you how bowled over we are at the unexpected surprise that is Abu Dhabi itself and the fabulous and fantastic Emirates Palace, where we are staying,” said David Folb, chairman of Lashings.

As revealed by Cricinfo last month, the 2011 World Cup will be shortened and the main victims of the change will be the Associate countries who will have their numbers cut from six to four.

"It is a move we both feared and expected and it's not great news for the Associates," Warren Deutrom, the chief executive of the Irish Cricket Union, told Cricinfo. "Neither is it a great vote of confidence in the ICC's own High Performance Programme.

Click here to tell us what you think of this? Is it the start of the gradual elimination of smaller countries from the World Cup or a necessary and welcome move?

	Arshad Ali, the former UAE captain, struck 185 in UAE's win over Bermuda last year © Eddie Norfolk

UAE might be languishing at second from bottom in the 2007-08 Intercontinental Cup, but they remain confident of reversing their fortunes ahead of their match against Namibia on Wednesday.

In three matches, they have only won one match - an excellent 138-run win over Bermuda last November. And it was this win which inspired UAE, and their captain, Saqib Ali, to believe in themselves. UAE were dismissed for a lowly 143, conceding a first-innings deficit of 168, but fought back brilliantly on days three and four to win by 138 runs.

"It was an unbelievable win for us," Saqib said. "That victory really gave us the belief that we can do well in this competition. I think we have what it takes. We have plenty of experience with people like Khurram Khan and Arshad Ali and there is a good feeling in the squad."

In spite of their bullishness, UAE's preparations for Wednesday's match have been far from ideal, with heavy rains sweeping the region. "Also it is a new pitch at Sharjah Stadium," Saqib said, "so we don't really know how it is going to play."

Saqib took over the reins from Arshadfor the Bermuda match, and the new-found freedom paid immediate dividends for Arshad whose mammoth 185 set-up UAE's matchwinning 449.

"I decided that I wanted to play as just an ordinary player, not captain," Arshad said. "It is easier for me that way and since I gave up the captaincy I have been doing very well, scoring runs and taking wickets."

Namibia, meanwhile, come into the match following an impressive eight-wicket win over Canada in October. Their win was set-up by a fine 163 from Bjorn Kotze, but neither his brother, Deon, or Louis Klazinga, who took 6 for 82 in the match, have made the trip. UAE, though, will not be underestimating Namibia.

"We are wary of Namibia. We know they have a good side with plenty of experience and lots of batting," Saqib said. "It will be very interesting. I am looking forward to it."

	Singapore's captain Rezza Gaznavi receives the ACC Under-15 Elite Cup © ACC

The Asian Cricket Council had taken drastic action on Saturday and kicked out hosts and defending champions Nepal as well as Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Malaysia, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Thailand after its medical board reported that all the squads from those countries contained players over the stipulated age limit. Sunday's semi-finals - Nepal v Singapore and Afghanistan v Hong Kong - were scrapped.

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UAE underlined their ambition to take part in the 2011 World Cup by winning the World Cricket League Division Two tournament in Namibia, defeating Oman in the final. Denmark and Namibia also booked their place in the 2009 Qualifer, but Uganda and Argentina finished in the bottom two and were relegated back to Division Three.

Click here for Cricinfo’s full coverage of the tournament.

Tony Cozier is, rightly, one of the most respected journalists in the game. His work to cover and promote cricket in the Caribbean has been unstinting for almost four decades. And yet even the best writers have off days, and his attack on the way that the ICC funds the Intercontinental Cup, the first-class competition for the Associates, is one of those.

Continue reading "ICC must go on funding cricket's expansion"

Tony Cozier, the veteran Caribbean journalist and broadcaster, has launched a scathing attack on the way the ICC funds global cricket outside the Test-playing countries.

Writing in his column which is syndicated throughout the Caribbean, Cozier was angry at the way that established regions, such as West Indies, were not allocated more money instead of so much being spent by the ICC on Associate competitions.

“Certainly there is no ICC venture more illogical or costly than the one dubbed the Inter-Continental Cup,” he wrote. “It is an annual tournament, described by the ICC as its ‘flagship first-class competition’, comprising round-robin, four-day matches between its second tier members, those one below Test status. These are countries where the game has always been based on amateur, weekend, one-day club cricket. They play no four-day domestic matches and almost certainly never will.

“Yet the ICC doles out heaven knows how much cash every year to fly them, and their own entourage of officials, across the world and to house and feed them at venues as scattered as Aberdeen, Dublin, Namibia, Toronto, Sharjah and Windhoek.

“Canada were unable to raise their strongest team for the African tour because many of their best players simply could not get time off from their jobs. The same problem affects others, rendering the tournament even less relevant.”

The ICC maintains that the competition enables players from Associate countries to gain more experience in the longer form of the game.

The UAE team will tour South Africa as part of their preparation for the ICC World Cricket League which takes place in Namibia.

"The ICC World Cricket League is the qualifier for the 2011 World Cup. We will be playing against Uganda, Denmark, Argentina, Namibia and Oman. Prior to the series, UAE will tour South Africa to play a few warm-up matches," Mazhar Khan, administrator of the Emirates Cricket Board, told Gulf News.

Nine cricket clubs from England will tour the UAE to play against the tongue-twisterly named Delhi Private School Young Talents Cricket Academy Under-13 and Under-15 teams. Gulfnews has more.

"Many club teams from England are keen to play in UAE and we have agreed to host them. Two club teams from Yorkshire and another from London will be here soon. Matches against these teams will provide good exposure for our boys too," said Shehzad Altaf, the chief coach of the DPS Young Talents Academy.

The M23XI Club team from Sussex are currently touring the UAE. The DPS YTA Academy under-13 and under-15 boys bowed to M23 XI at the Delhi Private School ground.

The 2007 ACC Twenty20 Cup gets underway on October 27, a ten-team tournament held in Kuwait.

Hong Kong Cricket's website, which Cricinfo hosts, will have more once the tournament gets underway.

The Gulf News reports that a ten-team tournament will be held in Fujairah between June 21 and August 2.

Called the Crown Prince Cup, the event will feature four teams from Fujairah and six from other emirates. Matches will be played under Twenty20 rules.

Continue reading "Twenty20 tournament to be held in Fujairah"

The fixtures for the first half of the 2007-08 Intercontinental Cup have been released by the ICC.

The tournament undergoes a change of format once again, with the group stages scrapped and a round-robin system introduced. This will mean that the eight participants play seven matches after the two-year span of the competition.

The event kicks off on June 28 when Canada, who meet Ireland in the final of the 2006-07 tournament at Leicester between May 22 and 25, meet Netherlands in Toronto.

Scotland play back-to-back matches against Ireland and Netherlands at the start of August, while Bermuda will be in Europe to take on the same opponents at the end of the month.

The schedule shows that Bermuda are the busiest country in 2007 with four matches, all away from home. In addition to their European trip, they play Kenya in Nairobi at the start of November and from there go straight to the meet UAE.

Namibia, on the other hand, have only one game inked in, while Kenya have two.

Seven bowlers each from Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Nepal and the UAE will be sent to the MRF Pace Foundation, run by Dennis Lillee, ahead of the 2007 and 2008 World Cricket League.

"It is the ACC's intention that these teams do well in the World Cricket League and the MRF camp in Chennai is to prepare the five qualifiers for World Cup qualification. An invitation was extended to the Malaysian Under-19 squad to train at MRF as they have pre-qualified for the 2008 U-19 World Cup next February and can benefit from the opportunity to train from this year," says ACC Development Manager Sultan Rana.

It won't get many column inches in the mainstream cricket press, but the World Cricket League, which started in Nairobi yesterday and continues into next week, features the best of the rest, the six sides just under the ten Test-playing countries. For the two finalists, the rewards are bountiful - a place among the big boys in the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa this September, along with $250,000. For countries used to surviving on annual handouts from the ICC of less than $200,000, that's big money.

Continue reading "A long way from home"

The Scotsman reports that Scotland’s cricketers set off on their longest-ever tour when they flew to Sharjah to prepare for a decisive Intercontinental Cup match against UAE.

Continue reading "Scots open their grand tour in heat of Sharjah"

The former Sri Lanka batsman, Aravinda De Silva, is the star guest to open next month's junior tournament in Abu Dhabi. Strong teams from England and India have been invited and it will be umpired by officials from England and the UAE.

"We have decided to make the event more competitive by inviting strong teams from England and India," said Shehzad Altaf, the former UAE team player turned coach and chief organiser of the tournament.

The tournament has been divided into three categories. The Under-11, Under-13 and Under-17. "The U-11 and the U-13 will be a 25 overs event the U-17 will play a 30-overs tournament. All the matches will be umpired by professional umpires from UK and UAE," added Altaf.

The tournament gets underway on January 7. More info can be read at Gulf News.

The Sharjah Cricket Council (SCC) has gifted a seven-ground cricket complex to the UAE to ensure non-stop action throughout the year.

Inaugurating the Al Dhaid cricket village yesterday, Waleed Bukhatir, the chairman of the Al Dhaid Cricket Village Development Committee said: "The theme of creating such a village is to ensure that people enjoy cricket with their families in lush green surroundings, away from the city." "Six cements grounds are ready for action and one turf wicket is also being built. We will have a look at the amount of water available in this area and if possible try and transform the whole village into a green turf," added Bukhatir.

More at Gulf News

It is being reported in the UAE that Dubai Sports City (DSC) is trying to get the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) to relocate a little more than a year after it lured the ICC away from Lord's.

A report in the Khaleej Times claims that an offer has been made to the ACC and that a move could be almost immediate. The ICC is in temporary accommodation while the DSC is finished, and a similar arrangement could be implemented for the ACC.

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UAE 175 for 5 (Khan 61*) beat Hong Kong 174 for 8 (Ali 3-35) by 5 wickets

The United Arab Emirates beat Hong Kong by five wickets today, at the Kinrara Oval, to take the 2006 ACC Trophy.

Choosing to bat, Hong Kong could only muster 174 for 8 in their 50 overs with the captain and wicketkeeper, Tim Smart, top-scoring in his 55. Arshad Ali bowled very tidily, picking up 3 for 37 and the Man-of-the-Match award. UAE then raced to victory in 35 overs, Khan taking them home with an unbeaten 61.

A Twenty20 Summer Cup organised and conducted by the Sharjah Cricket Council, will be held under floodlights at the Sharjah stadium in the first week of June.

“If the huge success of the earlier event held in October last year is any indication, we can expect a similar enthusiastic response to the tournament from players and fans,” Nasir Akram, secretary-general of the Sharjah Cricket Council said.

Never mind a new trophy cabinet, the winners of the Under-14 Dolphin Cup to be held at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium might need to build a new clubhouse.

"The trophy will be 13 feet tall and weigh 200 kilograms. It will break the existing record of 11 feet and three inches for the tallest trophy," explained Sanjay Ahuja, the event spokesman. It is also likely to crush anyone foolish enough to attempt to lift it.

The best batsman, best bowler and player of the tournament will be presented with a scooter. So ... the winners get a trophy they cannot move, and the leading players a vehicle they cannot legally drive.