UAE board plan high-profile 16-team league

Ajman The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) has, with an eye towards revamping the UAE’s domestic cricket structure, formed the Domestic Cricket Development Committee (DCDC). In a historic move, the DCDC headed by Waleed Bukhatir as chairman, with Shaji-Ul-Mulk as custodian and head of strategy and marketing and Mazhar Khan as head of cricket affairs, has brought all the cricket councils under one umbrella and will stage tournaments and implement plans for the development of the game in the region. The ECB DCDC will soon launch a high-profile Emirates Top Clubs League, comprising 16 top clubs from across the country. “This league will provide top quality domestic cricket by permitting two overseas cricketers for each team. Plans are also on for an Emirates Champions League with eight teams, permitting four overseas players for each team to boost the standards of domestic cricket and also generate revenue through sponsorship,” Shaji-Ul-Mulk told Gulf News. “The DCDC will identify the improvement needed in the current domestic cricket development programme and provide solutions, generate funds and implement policies at the regional and national level to effectively achieve the ECB’s objectives,” he said. The DCDC also has plans to spread cricket at the grass-roots level. “We are even planning to raise funds to enable talented cricketers to stay on in this country through funding and providing visas rather than losing them after their schooling days as is happening now,” said Ul Mulk. “We are also exploring possibilities to introduce contracts for players representing UAE. For this we hope to generate funds from corporate sponsorship. We have also created a centralised code of conduct clearly describing punishment for each type of offence. Soon we will launch our entire programme elaborating on every plan,” he said. “Our goal is to help the UAE attain ICC International One-Day and Twenty20 status within the next four years and full member status within 10 years. We are also aiming to gather a pool of 200 UAE nationals regularly playing schools cricket and field a minimum of at least five UAE nationals in the national team within 10 years,” said Ul-Mulk. The DCDC will now work with regional councils to accommodate top level division tournaments at Under-16, Under-19 and senior levels in 50-over as well as Twenty20 formats. The DCDC has also proposed to include at least one junior level cricketer in the playing XI in the council-run B division and A division tournaments. The other plans being initiated by the DCDC include creating a welfare fund programme for players and also attracting top talent from around the world, establishing a committee of senior local cricketers who will approach schools to introduce cricket at grassroots level for ages eight to 12 as a fun game, creating a data base for regional councils, selection committees and sponsors to access players’ performance. From Gulfnews