Emirates Cricket Board appoint Dougie Brown full-time UAE national team coach

DUBAI // Dougie Brown has been appointed the full-time coach of the UAE national cricket team.

The former England international served a highly successful three-month spell in interim charge, before leaving earlier this month.

He now takes over the reins permanently from Aaqib Javed, the former Pakistan bowler, who resigned the post a year ago.

“It is a huge honour to be appointed head coach of the UAE national team,” Brown said.

“I really look forward to the exciting challenges that lie ahead as we look to build on the recent success the team has achieved.

“We have had an outstanding three months and I continue to be impressed with both individual and team performances.

“I relish the opportunity to further develop the team culture and reinforce our style of play.”

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Brown’s new term in charge officially starts on Thursday, June 1. His first assignment will be three 50-over matches in the Netherlands, starting on July 10.

The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) had been expected to appoint Sridharan Sriram, the former India player, to the role.

The announcement had been delayed until after the conclusion of the Indian Premier League, where Sriram was an assistant coach for Delhi Daredevils.

Sriram and the ECB are believed to have agreed terms on a deal to bring him to Dubai.

However, it is understood the former left-arm spinner, who played eight one-day internationals for India between 2000 and 2004, decided against the move, after his family signalled their preference to stay in India rather than move to the UAE.

In the meantime, Brown was proving the folly of looking elsewhere anyway, by overseeing a hugely productive short-term stint in charge of the national team.

He was the third interim appointment since Aaqib’s broadly successful four-year tenure as coach ended 12 months ago.

After fellow former England players Paul Franks and Owais Shah briefly held the fort, Brown took over at the conclusion of one-day internationals against Scotland and Hong Kong in January.

Over the course of the next three months, the national team enjoyed a run of success that had been beyond them as they spent the previous two years in the doldrums.

A variety of individual and collective achievements came their way on his watch.

They whitewashed Papua New Guinea across three formats. In so doing, they won their first four-day Intercontinental Cup match in four years, and made their highest ODI and T20 international totals.

Zahoor Khan returned the best one-day international figures by a UAE bowler, with six for 34 against Ireland in Dubai. Rohan Mustafa became the first UAE player – and only the third from all nations – to score a century and take five wickets in a one-day international.

Shaiman Anwar became the first T20 international centurion. Saqlain Haider and Mohammed Usman made their maiden first-class centuries.

The run of results lifted the morale of the national team, with senior players crediting Brown for the change around.

Mohammed Naveed, the UAE’s leading strike bowler, labelled him the “perfect” coach for the national team, saying he was “like part of the family”.

“After a very extensive process, the board are very pleased to confirm Dougie has been selected as Emirates cricket’s head coach,” Waleed Bukhatir, Emirates Cricket Board member and chief selector, said.

“Dougie’s influence with and impact on the players has been evident through their recent form and commitment, and we look forward to watching them continue this upward curve under his guidance.”

pradley@thenational.ae

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