Kai Smith hopes to follow in Mahika Gaur’s footsteps from Dubai to England side

Mahika Gaur’s extraordinary rise from junior cricket in Dubai to opening the bowling for England is not only serving as an inspiration for female cricketers in the UAE.

Kai Smith, who was born and brought up in Dubai and represented the UAE at two Under 19 World Cups, also now plays county cricket in the UK.

Having been part of Warwickshire’s academy for two years, this summer he signed a two-year professional deal to keep him at the county until 2025.

The wicketkeeper batter has opted to chase his cricket dream rather than attend university, and he has a packed schedule as a result.

He is back in the UAE to play for Chennai Braves in the Abu Dhabi T10. The tournament starts at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, which is Smith’s 19th birthday.

He will return to the capital in March when Warwickshire’s first team undertake a pre-season tour. In between, he will head to South Africa, where his parents are from, to play club cricket.

His own progress in the game has been impressive enough, but he acknowledged he has closely followed the ascent of Gaur, the former UAE left-arm fast bowler.

Having been spotted by Lancashire at a pop-up coaching clinic at Expo 2020 in Dubai, she graduated last summer to the full England side, and shone after making her debut against Sri Lanka.

Smith and Gaur played together in the UAE when they were 12 years old, and recently caught up at the Rajasthan Royals Academy at the Sevens, Dubai when both were back in the city.

“We were very close and it is amazing to see where she is now,” Smith said.

“We are all really proud of her, and it is a massive inspiration because that is where you want to play. You want to play on those big stages and international cricket for your country in front of