ICC status | Affiliate (1989) Associate (1990) |
---|---|
ICC region | Asia |
WCL | One |
Coach | Dougie Brown |
Captain | Rohan Mustafa |
First international | |
20 February 1976 v Pakistan International Airlines at Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium | |
World Cup | |
Appearances | 2 (first in 1996) |
Best result | 11th (1996) |
World Cup Qualifier | |
Appearances | 4 (first in 1994) |
Best result | Won, 1994 |
As of 31 August 2008 |
The United Arab Emirates national cricket team (Arabic: فريق الإمارات الوطني للكريكيت) is the team that represents the country of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in international cricket matches. They became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 1989 and an associate member the following year. Since 2005, the ICC's headquarters have been located in Dubai.
One of the emerging One Day International (ODI) teams, the UAE won the ACC Trophy on four consecutive occasions between 2000 and 2006, and were runners-up in the other three times the tournament has been played in 1996, 1998 and 2008. They won the ICC Trophy in 1994, and played their first ODIs that year, later playing in the 1996 Cricket World Cup. Other ODI matches came in the 2004 and 2008 Asia Cups. At the 2014 World Cup Qualifier, the UAE placed second behind Scotland, qualifying for the 2015 World Cup and gaining ODI, and therefore Twenty20 International (T20I), status until 2018.
In 1892, the United Kingdom took responsibility of the Sheikhdoms, and 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.