Asian Cup 2022 will be a celebration even with UAE on the sidelines again

The bus from Muscat back to Dubai must have been a sullen place on a Thursday morning.

For UAE national team players, thinking about the beauty of the Hajar Mountains will almost certainly give way to more pessimistic thoughts.

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Like, how do we do it Pass up the chance to play in a major tournament In our own backyard for the third time in four years?

This Asian Cup In the same way as the 2018 and 2021 T20 World Cups.

Wanindu Hasaranga and Rashid Khan will be there.

In a day, Babar Azam and Haris Rauf will take office Virat Kohli And all the other household names in the Indian Premier League.

This world star game Will shine under the ring of firelight floodlights. From now until the finale on Sunday, September 11, it’s going to be a fascinating show.

But once again, the leaders of the host nation will be ghosts at their own feast.

four years agoit was Hong Kong who denied them a place in the home Asian Cup in the final stormy days of the Malaysian qualifiers.

A year later, the UAE is second in the tournament that offers five seats for the next T20 World Cup.

As it turns out, it finally started playing in the UAE after two years due to Covid.However, it passed without the UAE, their hopes were Corruption crisis Since then, seven senior players have been suspended.

This time, the UAE are the highest-ranked team in qualifying, a full 11 places ahead of second-placed Hong Kong.

But a team that has been grumbling Their last T20 tournament in Muscat It looks completely broken now.

Their captain changed on the day of the competition. The country’s two most-capped players were subsequently dropped entirely after a shocking loss to Kuwait.

Seeing Ahmed Raza and Rohan Mustafa — both ex-captains — sitting in dugouts in high-class bibs, not in the heat of battle, It looks painful.

They have been regulars in the squad for a decade, with both players being UAE internationals as men and boys.

Classmates, born three days apart, were inspired to become international cricketers by watching a match just 6 bats away from Sharjah school.

How fitting if they go back to their hometown for a big tournament.

After all, the Sharjah Cricket Stadium is re-hosting a game it was born in in 1984.

The country’s oldest cricket ground will host four matches on Friday, September 2, including Pakistan v Hong Kong (not the UAE).

While the home team’s absence will feel strong, the return of the Asian Cup to Sharjah is cause for celebration.

Abdulrahman Bukhatir, who did much to build the movement in the Middle East, as Sharjah Cricket Groundalso played a central role in the opening game.

“The initiative that started in 1984 has paid off, and I think it’s one of my most satisfying achievements,” Bhatir said last week.

Now the son of Bukhatir, Khalaf is the CEO of the stadium. He is very happy to welcome the Asian Cup again.

“Life is really back to square one and we’re excited to host the Asian Cup again in 2022,” Khalaf said.

“Our stadiums are world-renowned for breaking records, having the best fans and having the most exciting endings, and I don’t think this game will be any different.”

India and Pakistan train in Dubai

Updated: August 26, 2022 2:58 AM