Metro53 - Dubai (Web Desk): The United Arab Emirates has created history by granting citizenship to five cricketers through naturalization.
According to Cricinfo, Khuzema Tanveer, Ajay Kumar, Akshdeep Nath, Harpreet Bhatia, and Adeeb Usmani have been awarded UAE citizenship, becoming the first cricketers to receive this honor.
While several athletes in sports such as football, rugby, and judo have previously been granted UAE citizenship following a 2018 presidential decree, cricket has largely been represented by foreign players under the ICC’s three-year residency rule. With this development, these five players will now represent the UAE as full citizens and passport holders.
All five are currently part of a 17-member squad participating in two T20 matches and a triangular ODI series in Nepal.
Ajay Kumar expressed that since the day he arrived in the UAE, his dream was to represent the country at the international level. He thanked the UAE, support staff, and everyone involved, adding that domestic and club cricket played a key role in his development.
