ISLAMABAD: When Shafiq Ahmed moved to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from Pakistan in 1991, he was struggling to establish himself as a professional cricketer. Now, three decades later, the veteran cricket coach is a major part of efforts to pave the way for the sport's promising future in the Gulf.
Cricket was not popular in the UAE when Ahmed left his native Sialkot. Initially enjoyed mostly by South Asians based there, the sport started to gain traction in the UAE only after the world governing body of cricket, the International Cricket Council (ICC), moved its headquarters to Dubai in 2005.
"The game has a good future here," Ahmed told Arab News via phone from Dubai on Sunday. "The UAE have spent a lot of money to develop their cricketing facilities."
Dubai now has three stadiums in Dubai Sports City alone, Ahmed said, and other decent grounds for use by the general public.
“Then there is a stadium in Abu Dhabi, so now there are more opportunities and facilities to play cricket,” he added. "When we were playing, there was only the Sharjah stadium.”
Ahmed’s own fortunes as a cricketer changed, he said, in the 1991-92 season when he scored 11 centuries, and subsequently started setting records with his younger brother Arshad Ali, who went on to become the captain of the UAE national team.
"We have cricket in our family. I along with my younger brother Arshad Ali hold the record of the most centuries in UAE’s domestic cricket with more than 100 centuries for both of us,” Ahmed said.
In this photo of January 22, 2020, Shafiq Ahmad, coach Gems Modern Academy can be seen with girls' cricket team of his school. (Photo courtesy: Shafiq Ahmed)
In 2000, Ali began playing for the UAE national team and eventually become its captain. Ahmed, meanwhile, found his calling in promoting the sport, searching for new talent and coaching.
With the arrival of the ICC and its Global Cricket Academy, many UAE schools started to form their professional cricket teams. One of them, Gems Modern Academy in Dubai, appointed Ahmed as its cricket coach in 2005.
"Schools are very important in the growth of cricket as that is the age when players need coaching," he said. "It is a great feeling that many of my students have played at the national level for the Emirates as well as their native countries."
But his biggest pride is his son, Abdullah Shafiq, who recently debuted in Pakistan's series with Zimbabwe.
“I still remember seeing him holding the bat for the first time,” Ahmed said. "It was just totally natural the way he held the bat and played drives like someone who had been playing for one or two years already.”
“I am proud of my son’s achievement to represent Pakistan,” the coach added, “and I wish him great success."
