The United Arab Emirates Cricket Board has unveiled the UAE Women’s Cricket squad for the Asia Cup 2024. As a relatively new entrant in international women’s cricket, compared to established teams like India, Bangladesh, and hosts Sri Lanka, this will be their second appearance in the tournament. In the 2022 edition, they played six matches, securing just one victory against Malaysia by 7 wickets and ultimately finishing 6th in the points table.
UAE recently played in an ICC Women’s T20 World Cup qualifier where they showcased their best performance and outplayed other teams with their cricketing skills. They won 2 out of 3 matches in the group stage of the tournament and advanced to the semi-final, where they faced Sri Lanka, and were short of just 15 runs. However, they showcased full dedication and determination for the sport as they reached the semi-finals for the first time. Prior to feat, they won the 2024 ACC Women’s Premier Cup that was played in Malaysia, where UAE defeated the host nation Malaysia by 37 runs in the finals and conquered the ACC Women’s Premier Cup title.
The UAE cricket board has made a few new additions to their squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2024, compared to their previous team for the T20 World Cup Qualifier 2024. Rishitha Rajith, Rithika Rajith, and Emily Thomas are the three new entrants selected for the United Arab Emirates Women’s team.
Rishitha Rajith, a 17-year-old bowling all-rounder with two international matches, debuted on April 18, 2023, against Kenya Women in the Victoria Women T20 series. Her elder sister, Rithika Rajith, also a bowling all-rounder, debuted on March 22, 2022, in the GCC Women’s T20 Championship Cup and has six international matches under her belt but has yet to fully showcase her potential. Both sisters, along with Emily Thomas, are part of the UAE’s Asia Cup 2024 squad.
In the 2024 Women’s Asia Cup, UAE is placed in Group A alongside India, Nepal, and Pakistan. This group is one of the toughest in the tournament.
Their fixtures for the tournament are as follows:
July 19, 2024: Nepal vs UAE – Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Dambulla
July 21, 2024: India vs UAE – Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Dambulla
July 23, 2024: Pakistan vs UAE – Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Dambulla
🇦🇪 UAE’s Asia Cup squad is here!
Esha Oza leads the charge! 🔥 #CricketTwitter #T20AsiaCup pic.twitter.com/qkz8jskwZf
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) June 27, 2024
UAE squad for the upcoming Women’s Asia Cup 2024:
Esha Rohit Oza (Captain), Samaira Dharnidharka, Heena Harish Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Khushi Mohan Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Rinitha Rajith, Rishitha Rajith, Rithika Rajith, Emily Thomas, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish, Vaishnave Mahesh