West Indies’ devastating batsman Rowman Powell will lead Dubai Capitals as they take on Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the inaugural DP World Twenty20 on Friday.
Accordingly, Powell hopes that the UAE’s aspiring stars can flourish among the household names of the international game when their home Twenty20 league begins.
“This is a start of something special.” Powell said on the eve of the competition’s launch.
“Not from a personal standpoint but from the team and franchise standpoint. This is a good chance for the UAE players to showcase their talent.”
Commenting further, the West Indies star hopes,
“The DP World ILT20 is a good launching pad for them and hopefully they’ll utilise this opportunity.”
Dwayne Bravo will play for MI Emirates when they open their campaign against Sharjah Warriors on Saturday. Ahead of the tournament, Bravo said he hopes to share some of his expertise over the next month.
“It’s important for me to pass on whatever knowledge that I have about the game to my teammates and also develop the next generation of cricketers.”
Apart from that, Desert Vipers Cricket Director Tom Moody says that this tournament will be beneficial for the UAE cricket in the long run.
“I am very excited about this project, mainly because this is the first time we have seen a franchise tournament that belongs to the UAE.”
We have seen a lot of cricket here in UAE over the years, through ICC tournaments and Pakistan having to play a lot of their cricket here.
“But I think, for the UAE to have their own cricket tournament, with as many international superstars playing in it across the six teams, I think is really important for the development of cricket in this region.”
Commenting further,
“I know with Phil, and conversations we have had with other management, it is very much a priority for us to make sure we are part of helping develop that side of cricket here in the UAE.”
“This is not a short-term project. It is long-term, and hopefully our involvement can help fast track the game in this region.”
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