How UAE became Asia’s new cricket hub over the years?

Published - 16 Sept 2025, 21:28 IST | Updated - 16 Sept 2025, 22:01 IST

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has become Asia’s newest cricketing hub, drawing comparisons with traditional venues. With world-class stadiums in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah, the country has become the go-to destination for international tournaments, bilateral series, and franchise leagues. The country's journey has ranged from hosting exhibition matches in the 1980s to staging World Cups, IPL seasons, and Asia Cups.

Cricket in the UAE goes back to 1981, when Abdul Rahman Bukhatir introduced the Cricketers Benefit Fund Series in Sharjah. In 1984, the first official ODI was played there, and by the mid-1990s, Sharjah had hosted some of cricket’s most iconic moments, including Javed Miandad’s last-ball six in 1986 and Sachin Tendulkar’s famous “Desert Storm” in 1998. The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) was formed in 1989, and the UAE became an Associate Member of the ICC in 1990. Their national team qualified for the 1996 and 2015 World Cups, the 2014 T20 World Cup, and multiple Asia Cups.

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The real change came in the 2000s, when the ICC shifted its headquarters from London to Dubai in 2005. This led the UAE to become a global administrative center. Soon, its stadiums in Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai began hosting not just neutral games but also tournaments shifted at short notice. When Pakistan was unable to host cricket after 2009, the UAE became its home. Later, the BCCI relied on the UAE multiple times, in 2014 due to Indian elections, and during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, when the IPL was successfully staged in biosecure bubbles.

In recent years, the UAE has hosted the Asia Cup (2018, 2022, 2025), the Men’s T20 World Cup (2021), and the Women’s T20 World Cup (2024, shifted from Bangladesh). Its ability to organize tournaments on short notice has made it cricket’s most reliable backup host. Subhan Ahmed, COO of the ECB, even admitted that flexibility is their unique selling point.

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Meanwhile, their men’s team has a mix of expatriate and Emirati-born players and has participated in several events. Grassroots programs are being developed to ensure more Emirati representation, though reliance on expatriates remains high. The women’s team is also making progress, featuring in the T20 World Cup qualifiers.

Players themselves see tournaments like the Asia Cup as an exposure. As head coach Lalchand Rajput pointed out during the 2025 Asia Cup, playing against India and Pakistan helps UAE cricketers analyse their skills against the very best. While the nation has seen significant highs in terms of administrative powers, its cricket team is still far behind in comparison to other countries.