Former captain Khurram Khan believes the next UAE coach should come from the sub-continent, given the number of Asian cricketers in the national set-up.
The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) are on the hunt for a successor with Aaqib Javed stepping down at the end of May after four years in charge.
Fast bowler Mohammad Naveed, Twenty20 skipper Amjad Javed, 50-over and four-day skipper Ahmed Raza, and wicket-keeper Swapnil Patil are among the Pakistani and Indian players in the UAE squad and with the domestic matches consisting of a wide number of sub-continent players, Khurram feels it would be beneficial to appoint a man from the same region. \
“The languages that are spoken within the team and the overall culture here, I think it’s more suited to the sub-continent coach,” said the former batsman, who now sits on the ECB selection committee.
“It’s not going to be easy for international coaches to come here. We don’t have such first-class cricket or full-time professional cricketers yet and the fitness levels are not yet at that level as opposed to other professional cricket teams around the world.
“I think if someone is willing to adapt to these circumstances, then by all means, anything can work. With a lot of Indians, Sri Lankans and Pakistanis playing cricket in the UAE, it would be nice to have a coach from the sub-continent.”
The UAE are not in action until August when they travel to Scotland for their ICC Intercontinental Cup and World Cricket League encounters. ECB chief David East has already stressed they will take their time to appoint a new coach and Khurram agrees.
“There are only a few games left for this season,” said the 44-year-old who works with Emirates. “With that in mind, I don’t think the ECB will be in a hurry. They have a lot of time and shouldn’t rush in hiring someone quickly.”
Whoever is roped in, the retired star insists it will take time for him to understand and appreciate the unique structure in the UAE.
“It will be challenging for the new coach and it will take time for him to understand the domestic game, the competition structure and getting used to working with the players. It will not be easy,” he said.
Khurram played an instrumental role in Javed’s rein, leading the UAE to the 2014 World Twenty20 and the 50-over World Cup a year later, before ending his 14-year international career last June, having scored more than 5,000 runs in all formats. He feels his dream of playing on the global stage in 2015 would not have been possible without the 1992 World Cup winner.
“I had one of my best times under him and am losing a good friend,” he said. “He played a crucial role in sealing qualification for the World Cup in 2014 during the qualifiers. The New Zealand conditions were a lot faster than what we were used to in the UAE.
“So, he made the change of bringing in fast-bowlers and told us to change our thinking and adapt to the new wickets. He kept encouraging us even if things didn’t work out and always told us to focus in training and matches. The hard work paid off with us qualifying.”