Former UAE academy head coach Qasim Ali sees new charges Kuwait win in ACC Premier Cup

On another chastening day for UAE cricket at least one person from Dubai was able to celebrate a good outing at the ACC Premier Cup in Muscat.

The national team’s frailties were exposed again as they were thrashed by hosts Oman. Issues that had been papered over with opening wins in the competition against Kuwait and Bahrain resurfaced as they were entirely outplayed.

In a game reduced to 15-overs per side by rain, the home team won by nine wickets with more than two overs to spare.

On the neighbouring field at the Oman Cricket Academy, Qasim Ali might have been an intrigued observer, were he not wholly invested in his new remit instead.

Since the start of this year, Qasim has been in charge of Kuwait. For much of the recent past, he had played an integral role preparing the brightest young talents in the UAE for international cricket as the head coach at the ICC Academy in Dubai.

His first assignment at this 10-team event in Oman pitted his new charges against some familiar faces last week, when the UAE beat Kuwait.

On Monday, though, he was able to savour an uplifting win as Kuwait beat another of the Gulf sides at the competition, Bahrain, by 26 runs in a similarly rain-abbreviated game.

“It was an excellent win,” Qasim said. “To adapt to the conditions and show the responsibility to win the game, that is really big for our players.

“They stuck to a plan, which is really pleasing to see, and it is another win on the board.”

Qasim’s new brief is rather different to his old one. At the ICC Academy, his place of work was among the leading cricket training facilities in the world, with two international-standard ovals, numerous outdoor turf net-lanes, as well as a high-spec indoor school.

In Kuwait, there is just one turf