Ahmed Raza named new UAE men's cricket head coach

Ahmed Raza has been appointed head coach of the UAE men's national cricket team, replacing Lalchand Rajput who stepped down this week. Raza's first assignment comes with significant pressure: the UAE finished bottom of Cricket World Cup League Two and now face an eight-team World Cup Qualifier Play-off in Kathmandu starting on December 4, with one-day international status – and the ICC funding attached to it – on the line.

Raza is a former UAE international who served as assistant to Mudassar Nazar during a similar qualifying crisis four years ago. His appointment is notable because he is the first UAE national to take the permanent head coach role; all previous permanent coaches since Madan Lal in 1994 have come from Test-playing nations.

The timing adds another challenge, as the Kathmandu tournament overlaps with the ILT20. Many of the 15 players selected for the national squad will have to forgo substantial franchise contracts, with batter Muhammad Waseem, for example, standing to earn up to $210,000 for a full ILT20 season.

If Raza can navigate this difficult start, there is every reason to believe he can be transformative for UAE cricket.