Omid Rahman has 'huge ambitions' as he aims to become first Afghan to play cricket for UAE

Omid Rahman will become the first Afghan national to represent the UAE if he makes his debut against Scotland on Saturday.

The national team have made a sorry start to their Cricket World Cup League 2 campaign, with three defeats so far.

They have one match left of their opening tri-series, against the holders at Dubai International Stadium this weekend.

In a bid to try to solve long-standing issues, particularly with the batting, all but one of the squad have been tried so far in the series.

Rahman is the one player yet to feature. If he does get his chance on Saturday, it will cap a rapid ascent in the sport for a young fast bowler who had played no formal cricket before moving to Sharjah in 2017.

Originally from Khost in Afghanistan, Rahman settled in the Emirates when his father set up a transport business in Sharjah.

He had played tape-ball cricket on an informal basis back at home. Once he arrived in the UAE, he enlisted at Sharjah Cricket Academy, and his development has been swift in the time since.

“It was only when I moved here that I started taking an interest in cricket,” Rahman said.

“I started playing club cricket in Sharjah, and that is where my journey began. Once my father’s business got settled, he decided to make our family home here.”

Rahman’s promotion to the senior UAE squad for the first time coincides with his country of origin playing a series here.

While UAE are playing in Dubai, Afghanistan are set for a limited-overs bilateral series against Ireland in Sharjah, starting on Thursday.

Rahman says he was inspired to be a fast bowler by watching Hamid Hassan, who was one of the pioneering refugee-turned-cricketers for Afghanistan.

“I know those guys but didn’t play any sort of formal cricket with