Staff Reporter

Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) announced the UAE National team will play Ireland in a 4-match ODI series in January 2021.

Matches will be played Jan.8, 10, 12 and 14, 2021 at Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. All the matches will be live streamed by joint partner ITW Consulting.

Khalid Al Zarooni, Vice Chairman, Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) said; “We are thrilled to be in a position to announce this fixture against ICC Full Member Ireland. Collectively, our management teams have been working tirelessly to bring this series to fruition in Abu Dhabi, and one we extend our sincere gratitude to all involved.

“We are extremely thankful to Cricket Ireland for their commitment to this series and to Abu Dhabi Sports Council, and the UAE authorities for supporting this tournament.”

Mubashshir Usmani, General Secretary, Emirates Cricket said; “This is a great opportunity for our Men’s side to play against a Full Member, one we have a very competitive history with.

“Both Boards understand the importance of providing opportunities for our players to maintain their competitive edge, at an international level, as we move through these times and prepare for the re-start of our international calendars “We are delighted that our joint partner, ITW Consulting, will be taking the game to the global cricket loving audience through their coverage and live streaming services.

“All COVID-19 safety protocols will be strictly adhered to and we will review spectator attendance as we move closer to the tournament.” added Usmani.

Meanwhile, ECB Selection Committee officially announced the 20 men’s players that have been awarded Emirates Cricket Central Contracts.

10 players will hold full-time contracts while 10 others have been retained on part-time contracts. The tenure of the contract is for a period of one year.

“The selection committee is delighted with the number of young and enthusiastic players we identified for this group. “Every one of them bring a broad range of complementing skills required to strongly represent the UAE at both the associate and international stages,” said Dr Tayeb Kamali, Selection Committee Chairman, Emirates Cricket.

“As we eagerly wait for ICC Men’s World Cup 2023 pathway to recommence, opportunities such as the Emirates D10 and Emirates D20 tournaments will help prepare this group into a cohesive and a high-performing team,” added Kamali.

Mubashshir Usmani, General Secretary, Emirates Cricket said; “Such an increase in contracted player-numbers is a very rewarding milestone for our Board, and one we are committed to building upon to ensure that UAE Cricket has a good group players to call on as we move toward restarting a regular playing calendar.”

In the meantime, ECB and the organising committee of the Emirates D20 tournament confirmed that Match 1 and the Match 3 slated to be played on Wednesday were cancelled and both the teams Sharjah and Ajman will be awarded three points each.

ECB also confirmed that a player, who was due to participate in these matches, had tested positive for COVID-19, which led to the cancellation of the matches. The player is currently safe and being treated in accordance with ECB tournament protocols.

Centrally contracted players:

Full time: Rohan Mustafa, Ahmed Raza, Mohammad Usman, Chirag Suri, Muhammad Boota, Sultan Ahmad, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmad, Zawar Farid.

Part Time: Aryan Lakra, Ansh Tandon, Karthik Meiyappan Rahul Bhatia, Alishan Tandon, CP Rizwaan, Basil Hamid, Matti Ullah, Fahad Nawaz, Sanchit Sharma.