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Ajman T20 Cup to harness regional talent

The initiative has been launched to recruit emerging talent and amplify the cricketing ecosystem in the UAE

The AVR Pay News Ajman T20 Cup, powered by SkyExchange.Net, which presents a major opportunity for local cricketers to showcase their talent, commenced at the Malek Cricket Stadium in Ajman on Sunday.

Conceptualized by the founder of Abu Dhabi T10, Shaji Ul Mulk, and the Ajman Cricket Council, the initiative has been launched to recruit emerging talent and amplify the cricketing ecosystem in the UAE.

Held under the patronage of Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Humaid Al Nuaimi of Ajman, the tournament is an Ajman Cricket Council initiative, supported by the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), and designed to provide a golden opportunity for young talent to impress the ECB and T10 International League selectors.

The 10-day, action-packed tournament, which runs until March 22, will feature 90 of the UAE’s most promising cricketers. All teams named after the Abu Dhabi T10 tournament and linked with top domestic teams, will are in action.

Players’ performance will be closely monitored and assessed and those who qualify, will be presented to the Player Management Council for assessment giving the best players a chance to advance their cricketing careers and compete with national-level seniors.

“The UAE has seen tremendous growth in the cricket community; the Ajman Cricket Council is working proactively to nurture the region’s raw talent and fortify them for the international stage. We wish to create an infrastructure where players can healthily challenge themselves, reach their full potential, and leverage Abu Dhabi T10’s extensive platform,” Shaji Ul Mulk, who is also the chairman of Ajman Cricket Council, said.

Parvez Khan, Ajman Cricket Council Director added, “The tournament is designed to facilitate healthy competition and help scout UAE-based talent and dedicated cricketers of all nationalities. We greatly appreciate our sponsors, AVR Pay News and SkyExchange.Net who have helped us in this endeavour.”

As a former domestic player himself, Adnan Ul Mulk lauded tournaments like this for being a springboard for UAE talent and said he looked forward to seeing the players shine on this stage.

Mulk added that plans are also afoot to resurrect a UAE-South Asian tournament where players from the domestic leagues will get the opportunity to play with international talent from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh And Sri Lanka.

Legendary Indian cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin expressed his excitement at the striking developments witnessed in the UAE domestic circuit, reiterating Mulk’s views.

“This is the first domestic tournament with an international format and therefore, extremely likely to have an impact. From the formal draft to choose players to live streaming matches across the world, the tournament has the potential to put Ajman on the cricketing map,” he said.

A draft to choose players for the following teams was held on Thursday — Deccan Gladiators, Northern Warriors, Maratha Arabians, Bangla Tigers, Delhi Bulls, and Ajman Heroes, the latter being a council managed team.

Sheraz Ahmed, Usman Khan, Umair Ali Khan, Sultan Ahmed and Adeel Malik, Shoaib’s younger brother, are just some of the dynamic local cricketing talents who will be competing for glory.

To ensure the widest exposure of the AVR Pay News Ajman T20 Cup and give the nascent talent an exciting edge, for the first time the matches will be live-streamed on FanCode in India (100 million reach), Crictracker (10 million reach), and Willow TV for massive reach in the USA and Canada.

Albeit it being a domestic tournament, the AVR Pay News Ajman T20 Cup is offering players stellar international exposure. Starting with the player draft where team captains selected their best players, and the live streaming facilities that allow viewers from across the globe, the Ajman Cricket Council is doing the most to elevate the tournament internationally. Additionally, players are trained and debriefed prior to every match on the ECB’s Anti-Corruption Code, convened by an ECB officer to ensure the prevention of foul play and malpractice.

“After the challenges of playing cricket over the last two years, this is the first significant step of many to provide a substantial platform for up and coming players to showcase their best performance in Ajman. These players are the future of the game and it is vital to recognize and nurture their prowess with the goal to potentially play and continue to learn amongst the greats at the end of the year, in the Abu Dhabi T10 Tournament,” said Shaji Ul Mulk said.

The AVR Pay News Ajman T20 Cup, powered by SkyExchange.Net, burst into action with an intriguing match featuring the reigning Abu Dhabi T10 Champions— Deccan Gladiators versus the new kids on block, Ajman Heroes.

All matches are live-streamed on CineBlitz and E-Vision channel 670 in the UAE, Fan Code and CricTracker in India, Total Sports in Pakistan and Afghanistan, TSports in Bangladesh, Free Sports HD in the UK and Ireland and Willow HD in USA and Canada.