LONDON: Persistent rain in Malaysia’s Bandar Kinrara on Thursday put paid to the UAE reaching the Asia Cup on home soil after they were beaten by Hong Kong in a weather-affected final.
But, in truth, bad weather cannot dampen the worrying sense that cricket in the Emirates is stuttering after a promising few years, and questions will now be asked about where cricket in the UAE is headed.
The cricketing landscape in Asia has changed considerably in a short space of time.
Afghanistan — with whom the UAE used to share associate member status — have flourished since gaining their Test stripes this year, and recently beat another former ICC associate member (Ireland) away from home.
With qualification for next year’s World Cup also secured, it is safe to say the game in Afghanistan is on an upward trajectory.
But things seem to have flatlined for the UAE since they qualified for the World Cup in 2015 — on the pitch, at least.
The UAE’s ICC rankings suggest they are better than teams such as Hong Kong, Oman and Nepal — all of whom they faced in this week’s Asia Cup Qualifier — but missing out on a place at Asia’s top table, as well as not reaching the World Cup next year, will definitely be seen as steps in the wrong direction.
However, the future looks much brighter off the pitch with the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) making all the right moves in recent months.
They secured the hosting rights for the Asia Cup in a deal with the Board of Cricket Control for India (BCCI) — the first time the UAE will host the tournament since 1995 — after it was announced in April that the BCCI would forego staging the event in India, because of ongoing tensions with Pakistan, and “host” it in the Emirates.
And further tapping into the popularity of the game among the UAE’s expatriates, the ECB announced the launch this year of the “UAE T20x” league, which will run from Dec. 19 to Jan. 11.
It will be a monumental step for cricket in the UAE, given the success stories of the Indian Premier League and Australia’s Big Bash League, not to mention that the event has already got the backing of seven full member nations, including England, New Zealand, South Africa and the West Indies, in addition to 12 ICC associate members.
“The number one aim of UAE T20x is to offer a developmental platform for the best young cricketers from around the world, and of course the UAE, to showcase their talent alongside the icons of the game,” Zayed Abbas, ECB board member, said last month.
“We want this new league to play its part in helping to grow the game,” he added.
And icons it will have, after England’s Eoin Morgan, South Africa’s David Miller and the West Indies’ Andre Russell all signed on to play. Nobody can deny that the ECB are certainly talking a good game.
The next step has to be putting pressure on the ICC, which has changed the format of next year’s World Cup, meaning it will be the first without an associate member — this move has been criticized for protecting the game’s elite rather than expanding its reach in nations such as the UAE.
If the steps taken by the ECB this year do achieve targets, foster a stronger cricketing culture in the Emirates, and results on the pitch begin to improve, the game in the UAE will be headed in the right direction once again.
By then, the ICC will have no choice but to sit up and take note.
UAE taking correct steps to get cricket back on track after missing out on Asia Cup
UAE taking correct steps to get cricket back on track after missing out on Asia Cup
- The UAE’s ICC rankings suggest they are better than teams such as Hong Kong, Oman and Nepal - and yet failed to qualify for the Asia cuP
- The future looks much brighter off the pitch with the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) making all the right moves in recent months
Al-Hilal’s 13-game winning streak halted after draw with Al-Riyadh
- Al-Riyadh held the league leaders to a 1-1 draw thanks to an Ibrahim Bayesh equalizer
- Al-Qadsiah keep the pressure on with 3-1 victory over Al-Najma
RIYADH: Al-Hilal’s 13-game winning streak in the Saudi Pro League came to an end on Matchday 18 after a 1-1 draw with Al-Riyadh on Sunday.
Daniel Carreno, no stranger to Al-Hilal after leading city rivals Al-Nassr to the league title at their expense in 2014, set up his side impeccably as they denied the leaders a seven-point cushion at the summit.
Despite boasting the leakiest defence in the league, conceding 37 goals in 17 games, Al-Riyadh delivered arguably their best performance of the season against Simone Inzaghi’s side.
They proved tough to break down, with goal-line clearances from Yoann Barbet, last-ditch blocks from Marzouq Tambakti and a solid display from goalkeeper Milan Borjan keeping Al-Hilal at bay.
Around the 25th minute, Al-Riyadh began to grow into the game. However, it was at that moment that Al-Hilal struck, with Malcom breaking down the right flank before delivering a dipping ball to Darwin Nunez.
His touch fell kindly to Marcos Leonardo, who finished into an open net.
Al-Hilal then settled into control, although they lacked much of their usual ball-playing quality in the absence of Ruben Neves and Salem Al-Dawsari.
Malcom operated in a free-flowing role, popping up across the pitch, but despite his assist it was largely a frustrating half for the Brazilian.
Filling a dual role in Neves’s absence was Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
Alongside his attacking duties, charging from deep into the final third, the Serbian maestro was also tasked with dictating play from midfield.
With Al-Riyadh offering little going forward in the first half, Carreno shifted his relegation-threatened side’s approach after the break.
They became far more purposeful in possession, creating danger in the 58th minute. From a corner, Toze delivered a cross that found Ibrahim Bayesh, who bundled the ball over the line to equalize.
Minutes later, Inzaghi refreshed Al-Hilal’s attacking options with the introductions of Al-Dawsari and Kaio Cesar.
The Blues were left to rue a series of missed chances, with Al-Dawsari striking the post and Borjan producing a fine save to deny Darwin Nunez.
Al-Riyadh were handed a late scare in stoppage time when Tambakti was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for time-wasting.
Moments later, Al-Hilal thought they had found a winner when substitutes Cesar and Al-Dawsari combined in the box, only for the assistant referee to raise his flag for offside.
After the draw, Al-Hilal remain top but their lead has been cut to five points over nearest challengers Al-Ahli. Al-Riyadh stay in the relegation zone, now level on points with Damac in 15th.
Elsewhere, Al-Qadsiah held off a second-half Al-Najma resurgence to secure a 3-1 victory, with goals from Julian Quinones and Mateo Retegui steering them to all three points. Brendan Rodgers’ side move up to third temporarily, just six points behind Al-Hilal on 39 points.
Meanwhile, Al-Fayha and Al-Fateh met in Al-Majma’ah, where the hosts claimed a late 2-0 victory thanks to goals from Sabri Abu Dahal and Fashion Sakala.
Action resumes on Monday with the final three fixtures of Matchday 18. Al-Hazem face Damac, before Al-Ittihad welcome Al-Okhdood in Jeddah and Al-Nassr host Al-Taawoun in Riyadh.
