Abu Dhabi T10’s youngest signing Ethan D’Souza on ‘incredible’ learning curve

Ethan D’Souza always seems to have a smile on his face. That’s likely to continue for the foreseeable future, with the 16-year-old becoming the youngest player ever to be drafted. Abu Dhabi T10.

D’Souza has been selected by Abu Dhabi for the T10 tournament later this year. He will join the 16-man squad for the sixth season at the Zayed Cricket Stadium from November 23 to December 4.

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The chance was “unbelievable” for the left-handed opener and counter-attacker from the Zayed Cricket Academy.

“It will be an incredible experience to share the dressing room with some of the biggest professionals in chartered cricket,” D’Souza, who made his Abu Dhabi debut at the Emirates D20 in June, told National.

“I’m very excited and looking forward to it. I want to immerse myself in as many good moments as possible and learn from them, especially their way of life on and off the field, their training and pre-match preparations.”

D’Souza will spend two to three weeks with the likes of Australian Chris Lynn, West Indies’ Fabian Allen, Afghanistan’s fast Naveen ul Haq and England’s Adil Rashid, Phil Salt and Jamie Overton.

“This was the most important moment in my post-cricket game representing Abu Dhabi,” he said.

“It will be interesting to learn from the technicians and players how they prepare the game plan and evaluate the team’s performance after each game. For me, it’s great to be on the side and I hope I get the chance to play.”

De Sousa was playing a practice match at the Zayed Cricket Stadium when the draft was announced, but it was all over when the local roster was announced.

“I didn’t want to think too much about the draft, but at the end of the game, when my name was announced, my teammates were able to watch that section,” he said.

“My teammates hugged and congratulated me. I was happy and enjoyed the moment.”

D’Souza has been playing cricket since he was three years old. When he was seven and a half years old, his father enrolled him at the Zayed Cricket Academy.

“It was fun at the beginning,” he said of his early days in cricket. “I just love playing with other boys. At 13, things started to change and I wanted to play seriously and get to a better level.

“I started working harder to improve my game. Luckily, I got a break earlier than I thought to represent the academy team.”

D’Souza’s parents, John and Sharmila, have been his biggest supporters, with his father teaching him cricket and his mother helping him with his studies.

“My parents didn’t put pressure on me that I had to get high marks in exams, which helped me spend more time developing my cricket game. I managed to balance my studies and my sport, though,” he said. explained.

D’Souza’s performance in the Emirates D20, especially his defense, was highly rated by all teams. This earned him the nickname “Tiger”.

He played all 12 games, caught nine times and was involved in two games, one of which was a direct hit. On top of that, he saves his team a dozen runs in nearly every game.

“In Emirates D20, we made it to the final, which is something we’ve never done before. So that was a really good moment for me to be at this level for the first time,” the teenager said.

“I love fielding and want to save as many runs as possible for my team.”

One of the reasons for his athleticism is that he also plays football and basketball.

“The quickness on the pitch comes from the game and the football and basketball I play when I’m not playing cricket.”

D’Souza, a Year 11 student at the Indian School in Abu Dhabi, is in the UAE U19 pool and is working towards the final.

“My parents, the academy management, coaches and colleagues and everyone in the Abu Dhabi men’s team encouraged and supported me throughout my cricket journey,” said D’Souza.

Updated: September 30, 2022 2:45am