Vasbert Drakes on UAE cricket -
Drakes, a former West Indies Test player, believes Emiratis have just as much aptitude for the game as players from the subcontinent.
"Their style is very similar," said Drakes. "They have a very aggressive attitude towards the game, which is full of energy. They obviously love to hit a cricket ball, and probably the area they don't pay enough attention to is their fielding."
Drakes thinks the ad hoc nature of the way Emiratis have learned the game means they do not know the core skills as well as their South Asian colleagues.
For example, Mohammed Tauqir and Fahad al Hashmi, the two most experienced Emirati players in the UAE's Asia Cup squad, learned the game from expatriate friends while they were at school. Alawi Shukri, the teenaged opening batsman, was first introduced to cricket through a Sri Lankan housemaid at his home in Jumeirah.
Drakes feels the menial aspects of the game, such as fielding and running between the wickets, have been neglected as a result of their unstructured introduction to the game.
"That can make a hell of a difference," added Drakes. "That is because none of them come from an environment where there is any structure, so they don't learn those basics from a young age.
"What they have is natural talent and co-ordination - as well as a great passion for the game. Once you get that, you will always have an exciting bunch of players.
"If they train and do mature, with proper monitoring, you will see some decent cricketers in the next five to 10 years."
Drakes is serving a three-month term as coach of the UAE during the West Indies off-season, where he is the head coach of Barbados.
His remit is to make the national team competitive at the Asia Cup, which starts in Lahore on June 24. He will also be in charge when they attempt to retain their ACC Trophy in July and August.
Yet, after arriving on May 10 and having had just more than one month to get to know his new players, he said he had his work cut out. "I have to be honest with myself and realise you can't change a guy in the space of month," he said.
"It is going to take time, there has to be a process to anything successful. It is just a case of guys going over there, being competitive, and trying to get as much exposure as possible to try to take on board how you can achieve those targets and objectives.
"We have been doing a lot of technical work, and we have been analysing the opposition. If they can learn 10 per cent of what I am saying, there will be a growth, even in this short space of time."
- UAE have a long way to go