Today's Edition
Kuumar Shyam (Aletihad)
A feeder tournament set up by the Emirates Cricket Board to complement the International League T20 (ILT20) will serve a dual purpose of firing up the domestic cricket scene in the country, it is hoped.
The six-team ILT20 Developing Tournament concept and its elaborate planning met with appreciative glances when the first match of the competition kicked off at the ICC Academy Oval last Saturday evening.
The tournament will serve as a support event to the second season of the ILT20 where four UAE players are mandated to be part of the six teams – inaugural champions Desert Vipers, Gulf Giants, MI Emirates, Dubai Capitals, Sharjah Warriors and Abu Dhabi Kight Riders. For the second year, 11 players out of 24 have been retained by teams.
“The first year saw a pool of 24 players being picked more randomly, but we would like the pool to be cast wide with more informed choices for all the stakeholders involved,” said Andrew Russell, development officer at Emirates Cricket Board.
The tournament has also imitated the ILT20 by way of having a proper draft and players from all over the country divided into six teams. They will have coaches and even support staff. And even better, the ball-by-ball footage is being streamed live to a global audience through their Youtube channel and other broadcasters.
This is a far cry for someone like Muhammed Jawadullah, who landed in the country couple of years back to work as an electrician at a club in Al Ain.
Having never played cricket with the season ball, the left-arm bowler with the tape ball had to reach out to satisfy his desire just to play at a higher level. He was talented, and lucky, to be spotted from the crowd, despite an unorthodox stride at the time of delivery. Not only has he been fast-tracked into the national team, he impressed at the ILT20 with Sharjah Warriors (SW) alongside England’s Chris Woakes when given the chance.
He is joined at the Blitzers team, part of AD Knight Riders, by another youngster in the teenage batsman Ethan D’Souza. He turned out for Team Abu Dhabi in the third-place play-off match of the Abu Dhabi T10 League held last December.
At the other end of the age spectrum in the Blitzers squad is Junaid Siddique, who was also Jawadullah’s teammate at Sharjah Warriors. Siddique is a late bloomer who has now become the senior most bowler in the UAE side.
The SW pair impressed, in vain, when the UAE ended up as losing finalists in their quest to become Gulf champions last fortnight in the T20 format in Qatar. But such experiences are bound to be passed on to the younger crop at the Tournament.
“I have been fortunate to have got opportunities to play in leagues around the world with the grace of God and my hard work,” said Siddique on the sidelines of the first match of the tournament.“And I am always happy to share the experience with colleagues. The ILT20 is a great opportunity for us. It is the second only to IPL so any chance to impress and play with world-class players is a special chance for us to raise our game."
Already the second richest league in the world after the Indian Premier League, having made its bow in January-February this year, the ILT20 is gearing up for a stronger response by way of deeper involvement from local players on the field and domestic fans in attendance at the stadia in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.
The Developing Tournament will be played over a period of 11 days, with 18 matches in total. The final will be held on October 10. The matches are being streamed live and talent scouts’ attendance was on display on the opening evening with representatives of Dubai Capitals and Abu Dhabi Knight Riders.
While agreeing that the 13 spots to be filled may be the short-term gain, the ECB is looking at it two-folds like an all-rounder’s perspective. The domestic cricket structure is not as developed as it should be.
When reminded of the fact that the gap left by the erstwhile A-Division League, Russell said: “I agree. To an extent the corporate structure has been there, but there has not been a consistency as we would have like overall. With this tournament, we can hopefully address a dual benefit for us, and that’s why we have gone all out to give the teams here all the support they would need.”
Out of the 11 retained players from Season 1, the following eight will participate in the ILT20 Development Tournament:
Aayan Afzal Khan (Gulf Giants)
Junaid Siddique (Sharjah Warriors)
Matiullah (Abu Dhabi Knight Riders)
Mohammad Waseem (MI Emirates)
Muhammad Jawadullah (Sharjah Warriors)
Rohan Mustafa (Desert Vipers)
Sanchit Sharma (Gulf Giants)
Zahoor Khan (MI Emirates).
