United Arab Expatriates

The United Arab Emirates. Or should we say the United Arab Expatriates? Take your pick.

No wonder, then, that their cricket team is a pure reflection of the demographics –– nine Pakistanis, two Sri Lankans, two Emiratis and two Indians — Mumbaikar and, of course, a Malayalee. Add a World Cup winner to the mix and you get a spunky bunch that dares to dream and differ.

Dream because the future, like Eleanor Roosevelt said, belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. And dare because each member of the side performs a day job before sweating it out for another four hours. And these are airline employees, bankers, accountants and office managers we are talking about.

One such dreamer answers to the name of Khurram Khan. Khan is 43. Yes, he is the oldest player at this tournament. In fact, he is a year older than his team's head coach, Aaqib Javed, who tasted World Cup success 23 years ago. Yeah, that's how old Khan is. Well, he is also the oldest player –– ever –– to score an ODI century. But he doesn't look a day older than 29.

Khan is an inspiration. He is the vice-captain of the team. He played a big part in UAE's qualification campaign. And his story is heartening. A steward with the Dubai-based Emirates Airline, Khan may have visited Melbourne nearly a dozen times. And typically, he would be put up in a hotel overlooking the Melbourne Cricket Ground. But unlike most tourists, he didn't undertake a guided tour of the iconic venue where Test cricket was born in 1877. Instead, he let each visit reinforce his desire to play on the hallowed turf.

"I've seen the MCG many times, but I've never walked into the stadium because I've always wanted to play here," Khan said. On Wednesday, he realised that dream.

For someone who redefines the word 'rigorous' by doing push-ups on long flights before battling jet-lag on the field every other day, the Pakistan-born Khan gives us enough food for thought. "There are times when I go straight to the ground from the airport," he said.

For Javed, he is the most dedicated cricketer ever. "This guy is a very special person. I think I have never seen any person in his 40s playing as well as him. I think he is the best 43-year-old batsman I have ever seen. Top commitment to the game and, I think, he is the perfect role model for any youngster. I think I am lucky to have someone as experienced as him working with me," Javed said. And lest we forget, he shared the dressing room with chaps like Imran Khan, Javed Miandad and Wasim Akram.

During a chat with dna, Javed also spoke at length about what clicks for this team. "These guys are humble. Unlike international cricketers who get paid huge sums for just playing the game –– tell me honestly; what's the big deal in it? –– every member of this team has to do a normal office job. You know how competitive Dubai is. And then, these guys travel to the practice venue. Some of them have to drive nearly 100 km. And they do so for three, four, five days a week. International cricketers are a lazy bunch. These guys are the real stars. I salute their josh," Javed said.

Asked about the Indo-Pak rivalry and Javed laughed it off. "It's difficult for me to look at it that way now. I coach a team that has Pakistanis, Indians, Sri Lankans and Emiratis. You have no idea of the camaraderie in the side. On one side, people talk of Indo-Pak rivalry. And on the other, I have so many boys playing together so happily," he said.

A proud member of Imran Khan's 'Cornered Tigers' of yore, Javed just loves Australia. "I started my international career here. I was part of the Pakistan team that came here in 1988 for the first Under-19 World Cup. This is the third World Cup for me in Australia, obviously with different teams and in different capacities. I just can't explain my feelings when I talk about the 1992 World Cup. I think there is nothing better than that I can experience as a cricketer. That was perhaps the best time of Pakistan cricket," he said.

Guiding a nation that's making only its second World Cup appearance is no joke. "In 1996, I played against the UAE. And now I am the coach of the UAE. I have always believed sport is one thing that is beyond boundaries, beyond religions. It is something beautiful. I met Waqar Younis and Moin Khan recently. They are with the Pakistan team now. And I warned them to watch out for my team. I told them we will give them a hard time'," he laughed. That game is on March 4, in Napier. The UAE will also clash with India on February 28, in Perth.

"I think we have got an experienced and well-balanced batting line-up. Khan is the leading batsman. Apart from him, we have two really exciting openers in Amjad Ali and Andri Berenger. We have also got a couple of very good fast bowlers like Mohammed Naveed. I think people are definitely going to love him. We have Nasir Aziz, the off-spinner, who has got a lot of variety in his bowling. Going back to different nationalities in the team, it was a difficult task in the beginning to form a team. But looking back now, I think it has become our strength. It makes a good mix and brings in more variety, more thinking," Javed said, almost sounding like a sociologist. Make that humanist.

Like every coach of every minnow team, Javed believes the World Cup is a process for his team. "We want to win a couple of games." And no, they are not talking about beating Ireland or Zimbabwe. They are going for one of the big fish.