Aaqib on a
mission in UAE

The former Pakistan international has served the game in many ways. One of his great his great services to cricket was to construct a stadium of international standards in his hometown of Sheikhupura.

After finishing his playing career, Aaqib took coaching seriously by getting himself involved in academies in Faisalabad.

A disciplined approach paid him rich dividends and even Bob Woolmer asked him to join his coaching staff but he turned down the offer. He worked as an assistant to Intikhab Alam and earned respect for his dedication to the game. He also worked under Waqar Younis and Mohsin Khan.

He took the UAE job recently and is trying his best to inculcate professionalism in the side which has talent that needs to be chanellised. While talking to Khaleej Times he shed some light on his plans to lift the standards of the game in the UAE.

“I have worked under many coaches and now I have got the opportunity to test myself as the head coach of the UAE side.

“I accept the challenge and will try my best to uplift the game in the UAE.

“There is no dearth of talent but there are a host of challenges to be addressed. First of all, the fitness of the players is the main concern.

“The boys work from 9 to 5 and find little time to practise properly.

“A sportsman needs to be fit to perform at the highest level. I have paid attention to this issue and I can see an improvement in this regard.” The UAE will tour Holland in July where they will play a four-day match, two ODIs and two Twenty20s.

“We are trying our best to prepare for the coming tour. The boys are practising on grassy pitches at the Dubai Sports City.

“It is still a long way to go but if we play to our potential we can qualify for the next World Cup to be jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand in 2015.”

The former Pakistan international added: “We have a number of aged players and we have a number of players who are ready to meet our standards but a player needs to spend seven years in the UAE to become eligible to play for the country.

“It is a big hindrance. We can field only two players who have spent four years in the country. At the moment we have six very good players who are knocking at the door of the senior team but the qualification stipulation is coming in their way.”

Cricket is spreading globally and a country like UAE which has a big chunk of expatriate community from the sub-continent has got a great following for the game.

The Sharjah Cricket Stadium has entered the Guinness Book of World Records for hosting 202 ODIs, the most number of one-day internationals.

The country has got a great potential to become the hub of cricket in the region and the new coach Aaqib has many ideas to fulfil this dream. “We are planning to develop under 13, under 16 and under 19 teams by keeping the future in our mind.

“The UAE will host the next under 19 World Cup and if we are able to bring some talented boys together, the country can do well in it.

“The under 16 and under 19 teams could be a great supply line for the senior team.”

Soft-spoken Aaqib has always been one of the most loved members of the Pakistan team and after becoming coach he mixes well with the players.

He pays equal attention to the juniors as he does to the seniors. During a practice session at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Monday he was keeping eye on every player. “I have visited almost every cricket academy in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and now I am planning to visit Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaima and Fujairah to assess the situation. I know it is not an easy task but we have to start from somewhere to take the game to the masses in the UAE.”

The Emirates Cricket Board is trying its best to get the local youth involved in the game. Football being the most popular game among the UAE fans, it will need an Herculean effort to bring more and more local youngsters into the game.

“To introduce cricket among the locals is one of the main tasks of the cricket board in the UAE. The ECB is going to open an academy in Al Ain. A talent-hunt scheme in Al Ain is likely to yield good results and we hope to rope in some boys.”

Domestic structure in any country plays a key role in the development of the game. The countries which have strong domestic set-ups produce quality players who face little difficulty when they enter the international arena.

Australia have ruled the cricket world courtesy the competitive domestic system they possess. They are still producing quality players and are still ruling ODI cricket.

“Though there is a domestic league in the UAE, it needs to get stronger. Plans are afoot to help all the emirates develop their own teams. There should be a national level tournament in the UAE where teams from all the emirates participate.

“It could be twenty20 or a 50-over tournament which may provide the chance to the teams to exhibit their skills and can create a cricketing atmosphere in the country. These are some plans and we hope to execute them to uplift cricket in the UAE,” the man from Sheikhupura concluded.

liaqat@khaleejtimes.com