Dubai emerging as new player in league cricket

Foreign players appearing in good numbers during off season.

KARACHI: Dubai is turning out to be the new hunting home for Pakistani players looking to play league cricket during their off season, as the place offers several leagues that run throughout the year.

Several international players from Pakistan have been participating in these leagues, including Imran Nazir, Nasir Jamshed, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Asad Shafiq, Anwar Ali, Hammad Azam, Rameez Raja Jr and several others.

However, it is not just the players from Pakistan who turn to Dubai for earning money and playing in off-season; players from Sri Lanka have also been appearing in different leagues of Dubai.

“There are several leagues going on in Dubai with competitive standards,” one of the players who returned yesterday told The Express Tribune.



“It’s not a walk in the park because there are professional players in all teams who can give a tough time to anyone. The demand of Pakistani players has increased there and the players themselves want to try their luck when not on national duty.”

Meanwhile, wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed stated that league cricket in Dubai has allowed players to maintain their fitness level while away from national duty.

“It’s important for players who are not a part of the national squad during any assignment, that they remain in touch with competitive cricket,” said Sarfaraz. “Sometimes, a player is in the danger of relaxing too much and can go out of form during off season.”

“There is much cricket happening in Dubai, whether it’s Twenty20 or 25-over cricket. The best thing about these leagues is that all teams play with sheer intensity which is good for us.”

League cricket in Dubai will go one step higher from April 18 when the SuperStars T20 Tournament will begin. The organisers have roped in Pakistan’s Twenty20 World Cup winning captain Younis Khan for the competition.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 11^th, 2014.

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