I Wanted To Be Liverpool's First Female Manager

Zarah Shah, who founded the ongoing Dubai cricket tournament Oxigen Master Champions League with her father, talks about her love for the sporty stuff

What prompted you to start Oxigen Master Champions League (MCL)?

My family has always been a cricket-loving one. We owned a local team here, and lots of fringe international cricketers such Umar Akmal and Abdul Razzaq used to come and play. We wanted to come up with a tournament that would be able to give such players a way back into the game. I also attended the bicentenary celebration match in 2014; the game was between cricketing legends representing both the MCC and a Rest of the World team. The stadium was full to the rafters with pass-ionate cricket fans cheering their legends on. I realised then that there is a huge potential we can harness. That's what has driven the Oxigen MCL to this point. We want to encourage more locals and Emiratis to take up the game in a country that has not traditionally been a cricket-playing nation.

What made you develop a love for the game?

I am an avid sports enthusiast. I used to play soccer as a child and wanted to be Liverpool Football Club's first female manager. I wasn't interested in cricket at all. My dad used to watch test matches and used to teach my younger brother how to play cricket. It was he who got me interested and educated me about the game. Over time, I started keeping up with it, which turned me into a fan.

What is the number one item on your wish list/to-do list?

I am really looking forward to going to Russia and watching the football World Cup in 2018. I had plans of going to the last World Cup in Brazil. However, due to my commitment to Oxigen MCL, that wasn't possible. But Russia in 2018 - I will be there for sure.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be and why?

To be invisible, just so I could be on top of things and know exactly what people do, think and feel.

Your favourite hangout in the UAE?

If you don't risk it all, you won't achieve it all. When you take risks, you learn that there will be times you succeed and times you fail, and both are equally important. Moreover, I am a firm believer that praying (not just through the bad times but also during the good times) is a real soul cleanser.

• WKND