New Zealand is the start, we want to bring more top teams to UAE: ECB official

Zaid Abbas, board member of the Emirates Cricket Board, promised to bring more top teams for bilateral series against the UAE after striking a deal with New Zealand for a three-match T20 series.

The home T20 series against the Kiwis got under way at the Dubai International Stadium on Thursday. The remaining two matches will also be held in Dubai on August 19 and 20.

This is the second bilateral series for the UAE at home against an ICC Full Member team, having hosted the West Indies for a one-day series earlier this year.

“This is a great opportunity for the UAE. Being an associate country, to be able to play an ICC full member team is a big moment,” Abbas told reporters on Thursday.

“We have done this in the past, we had West Indies that came for an ODI series recently, and now we have New Zealand.

“We are looking forward to having more such teams in the future. We want to give our team the right opportunity to play against the leaders of the game. And that is the only way we can improve and can head towards our target.

“A lot of improvements have been made and there are still a lot that we need to do and learn. I would just say that it’s just a start.”

Eyeing a place in next year’s ICC T20 World Cup, the country’s cricket board is planning to give the UAE team more chances to test their skills against big teams.

“We have plans. A lot of other teams in the pipeline, I can’t say who because the deals are not done yet,” he said.

“But there will be more bilateral series against ICC full member teams.”

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