In a significant milestone for cricket in the UAE, five players - Khuzaima Tanveer, Ajay Kumar, Akshdeep Nath, Harpreet Bhatia and Adeeb Usmani - have become the first cricketers to be granted UAE citizenship through naturalisation. They are part of the 17-member squad currently in Nepal for two T20Is and an ODI tri-series.
While football, rugby and judo have had players who received UAE citizenship following a presidential decree in 2018, but cricket in the UAE has largely been played by expatriates who qualify to represent the country by satisfying the ICC's eligibility criteria of having resided in the country for three years. Now, these five cricketers can play for the UAE by virtue of being a citizen of the country and possessing a passport.
"From the day I landed in the UAE, it was my dream to represent the country at the international level," Kumar told The National. "Now I am getting this chance and all thanks to UAE, the support staff, and I have really been helped by playing domestic and club level cricket. "They have been looking after us really well. The management have been supportive throughout the whole journey. I am grateful to the board and all the cricket fraternity. I am really excited to represent this country and do well for them."
Khuzaima said he was "grateful" for the opportunity to play for the UAE. "If you get this opportunity to represent your country, it is a feeling that is out of this world for any player.
"The country is trusting you and giving you this chance, so I think you are the lucky one. I have played UAE domestic cricket for the past three years and have played the past two seasons of ILT20 and Abu Dhabi T10.
"It has been a great experience to play with international players. Now I have this opportunity to play for UAE. I am very grateful to the Emirates Cricket Board for supporting me."