Exciting times ahead for cricket in the UAE

Anticipation is mounting in Dubai where the UAE men’s cricket team will play New Zealand in a three-match T20 series on Aug. 17, 19 and 20.

New Zealand’s team will then travel to England for a four-match T20I series in late August and early September.

Their squad in the UAE contains a number of new faces, including two potential debutants in all-rounder Dean Foxcroft and leg spinner Adi Ashok. Both of them have shown impressive form in domestic cricket and for New Zealand’s A team.

A more familiar face, that of pace bowler Kyle Jamieson, returns to international cricket after over a year’s gap following a serious back injury.

Foxcroft was born in South Africa but, in 2016, moved to New Zealand, for whom he is now qualified to play having received eligibility approval from the International Cricket Council under its “exceptional circumstances” criteria.

Ashok is four years younger than Foxcroft. He was born in Tamil Nadu, India, in 2002, but moved with his Indian parents to New Zealand in 2006. He was named in New Zealand’s Under-19 A team in 2020 and was called up to the A team in March 2023. This season he has been playing club cricket in England.

Another young player with a promising future is Rachin Ravindra. Born in Wellington, New Zealand, to Indian parents in 1991, he made his international debut in September 2021, against Bangladesh in a T20I. This was followed by his Test debut in November 2021 against India.

Ravindra is a left-handed batter, who also bowls slow left-arm. During an interview on departure from New Zealand at Christchurch Airport, courtesy of New Zealand Cricket, he referred to previous experiences of playing in Dubai and noted that the wickets were good for batting, with a bit of grip for