The rise of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a primary cricketing location is one of the most remarkable stories in sport. The UAE might not yet be at the same level as Australia, England or India, but the country has quietly developed itself into cricket’s second home.
Dubai International Stadium, Sharjah Cricket Stadium and Sheikh Zayed Stadium might be newer names to sports broadcasters, but they have quickly ingrained themselves into the sports world. This is because the UAE offers something few other countries can match. It has a world-class infrastructure, political stability and the wealth to be able to host major tournaments on short notice whenever it chooses.
What started as homesick countrymen playing the game of their youth has grown to form a new cricketing powerhouse that is changing the game on a global level.
Cricket in the Desert: The UAE’s Humble Beginnings
The UAE’s cricket story didn’t begin with billion-dollar investments or by randomly hosting an international tournament. It started with expatriate workers playing together on sandy plots while longing for the comforts of home. In the intervening years, cricket in the UAE has risen from humble roots on dusty wickets to one filled with world-class venues and a globally recognized professional league.
The Expatriate Influence: Cricket’s Arrival in the Gulf
South Asian labourers coming over to work brought cricket to the UAE. Many arrived with bats and balls as mementos of home. With the love of the game instilled in them since childhood, these strangers soon began to play informal matches after a long workday. They found comfort in the things they knew while working in a foreign country, away from their families.
Over time, these informal games became something more. Organized leagues sprang up as local clubs were formed. By the mid-1980s, the UAE had left the world of dust bowl cricket behind and was on the path to domination.
How Sharjah Put UAE Cricket on the Map
The first true symbol of intent was in 1984 when the Sharjah Cricket Stadium hosted its first international match. Through the 1980s and 1990s, the Sharja Cup was a mainstay fixture on cricket’s global calendar. That was the moment that started the momentum for the sport in the Emirates, with the stadium holding the record for hosting the greatest number of international cricket matches (294) until March 2024. It still holds the record for hosting the most One-Day International matches.
The stadium has hosted a number of exciting matches over the years. It has become synonymous with limited-overs cricket, with all manner of dramatic finishing playing out under its lights, proving to the world that the UAE has everything necessary to host international cricket in all its forms.
Dubai Becomes Cricket’s New Home
The UAE’s ascent up the cricketing ladder took a big step up in 2005 when the International Cricket Council (ICC) moved its headquarters out of London and into Dubai.
Dubai offers clear tax advantages, a modern infrastructure and sits geographically at the perfect point between established cricketing nations and emerging markets.
This was not just a move. It was a statement. It was the stamp on the arrival of the UAE as a key name in cricket’s power structure, and with it, a firm role in shaping the future of cricket.
Infrastructure Meets Ambition: Building a Cricket Nation
It takes more than an interest in the sport to host world-class cricket. The UAE needed to deliver on infrastructure, innovation and investment. It needed to overcome climate challenges and create facilities that not only matched but eclipsed those offered by traditional cricketing nations.
Building Stadiums to Match Any Nation
The UAE spent heavily on building a robust cricketing infrastructure, including state-of-the-art facilities such as the Dubai International Stadium. With cutting-edge technology and a 25,000 capacity, it was instantly able to stand shoulder to shoulder with other established stadiums around the world. The Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi is another stadium with a beautiful design inside and out.
Alongside stadiums, the Emirates invested heavily in developing indoor academies and high-performance training centres to ensure players could train all year round, regardless of the weather outside.
Beating the Heat: Innovation in the Desert
The climate in the UAE is great for tourists, but playing cricket in a climate that regularly exceeds 40°C during the day is another story entirely. The UAE came up with a simple solution, highlighting the ability of the country and the sport to adapt to challenges. Night matches became the new standard. Furthermore, groundskeepers came up with specialised turf management techniques that maintained the wicket’s health during periods of extreme heat.
Strategic scheduling also saw priority fixtures played between October and April, when it is generally cooler. With adaptations in place, the UAE positioned itself as the ideal location for cricket and cricket tourism.
Financial Power Meets Sporting Ambition
Cricket is big business, and that attracts the attention of large corporations with an eye for good marketing opportunities. Emirates Airlines was a logical partnership and soon became one of the largest cricket sponsors.
It didn’t take long before other UAE-based companies followed suit, with their investments being placed in creating tournaments and investing directly in teams and the general infrastructure. Strong corporate backing offered financial stability, which made cricket in the UAE even more appealing. In a similar way to how an online casino no deposit bonus removes entry barriers for new customers in the region, corporate investment removes the same barriers for cricket organisations keen on playing in the UAE.
Becoming Cricket’s Most Reliable Host
A strong infrastructure is vital, but it is just the beginning when it comes to building a cricketing empire. The real test was seeing if the country could cope with the demands of hosting international competitions. From offering temporary refuge to building a major tournament from scratch, the UAE rose to the challenge.
A Safe Haven for Pakistan Cricket
In 2009, security fears meant teams were unable to play any tours in Pakistan, so the UAE stepped up. For nearly ten years, Dubai and Abu Dhabi shared the responsibility of being Pakistan’s ‘home’ for international matches.
Cricket-loving Pakistanis filled the UAE stadiums, not only providing a genuinely authentic home atmosphere thousands of miles from Karachi, but also proving that the Emirates had the tools in place to be a genuine partner in the cricket world.
Cricket’s Biggest League Comes to the Desert
Just as Pakistan returned home for international cricket, the UAE was once again called upon to play host. This time, with Covid-19 surging through India, the IPL was under threat. The UAE stepped in to host the 2020 season, creating bio-secure bubbles across three venues. The move saved the IPL season and showed the world that the UAE was able to deliver flawless logistics and memorable cricket, even under the strictest possible circumstances. The season also sowed the seeds for the UAE to create its own tournament.
The UAE’s Tournament Portfolio
The Emirates then hosted the ICC T20 World Cup in 2021. It was easily the biggest contest yet hosted in the country, and was the Emirates’ chance to once again showcase everything that had been built in the 40 years since cricket reached its shores.
The World Cup was a commercial success and was the final push the UAE needed to start its own franchise league. The ILT20 was launched in 2023 and partnered with ownership links to several IPL teams. Not only did this give the UAE its own global tournament, but the open partnerships also show the UAE’s intent on boosting cricket on a global scale.
Building a Cricket Culture
There is more to cricket than stadiums and big tournaments. The fans are key. Cricket is fuelled by its passionate supporter base. As it happened, over 50% of the UAE’s population were immigrants from cricket-savvy nations like India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh. This gave the nation an instant boost the minute talks of cricket hit the headlines.
From Imports to Exports: Developing Local Talent
With such large-scale investment in cricket, it’s unsurprising that the UAE national team has seen rapid growth in the development of home-grown players. Chirag Suri and Muhammad Waseem have risen through the ranks as genuine world talents.
The Emirates’ investment in cricket went down to the roots, with youth programs established to introduce cricket at a young age. Indoor academies, top-grade coaching facilities and clear development pathways allowed the UAE to build its cricketing future on a solid, future-focused foundation, rather than merely relying on importing talent and teams.
The Multicultural Cricket Community
The UAE’s diverse population brings a cultural swell to cricket matches. Cricket in the UAE has transcended nationality and proven the power of sport in uniting people. Walk into any stadium during any match and you will find swathes of Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans and Emiratis living in the thrill of the action on the pitch. All of them united by a shared passion for the gentleman’s game.
What’s Next for UAE Cricket?
The UAE hit the ground running with its cricket intent; however, the future is vast, and there are many questions the nation must answer. Can it continue to develop local talent while being a hub for international tournaments? While a franchise league can thrive, is there room for a domestic league to provide playing time and space for homegrown talent to develop?
While cricket tourism is great and can help support the economy in the long term, building a true sports empire takes more than event hosting. The UAE needs to reproduce its international ambitions with an inward focus to make it a nation that can challenge for the tournaments it hosts.
How the Desert Nation Changed Cricket Forever
The UAE’s emergence as a cricketing nation has reshaped the sport’s landscape. New rivalries and partnerships, business arrangements and broader interests and economic appeal that everybody can benefit from have all formed in its wake.
From humble beginnings carried by the passion of homesick immigrants to hosting the biggest tournaments in the game, the UAE is a cricketing success story unlike any other. It sets the stage for more nations to follow suit and help keep the game alive for generations to come.
