Cricket’s remarkable growth in the UAE continues

DUBAI: People in the UK continue to ask me if cricket is really played in the UAE. When I reply yes, the usual assumption which follows is: mainly by expats, I guess.

Perhaps the insularity denoted by this low level of awareness should not be surprising, especially at a time when the English game is focusing on the forthcoming Ashes series in Australia.  

Between Oct. 26 and Nov. 5, the UAE national men’s team are hosting Nepal and the US in a tri-series which forms part of the qualification pathway for the 2027 One-Day World Cup.

This will consist of 14 teams and is scheduled to be hosted in October and November 2027 by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. The first two hosts will qualify automatically but Namibia will not because they do not have International Cricket Council full-member status.

The top eight teams in the ICC ODI rankings as of March 31, 2027, will qualify, leaving four places to be decided through qualifying tournaments. Teams ranked 13 to 20 in the 2019-2023 cycle constitute what is termed League 2, whilst those ranked 21 to 28 constitute a Challenge League.

Further playoffs will determine the identity of the final four places. In League 2, each team plays three home and six away series, with four matches in each tri-series.

Currently, the US lead the way in League 2, with 32 points from 22 matches played. Scotland and the Netherlands occupy the next two places with 30 and 28 points respectively, both having played 24 matches.

The UAE are bottom of the league having gained only six points from 17 matches played. Their record in ODI’s is inferior to T20, where they are ranked 16th.

Indeed, the team qualified for the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup with an eight-wicket victory over Japan in their