The UAE women’s team has come a long way since being bowled out for nine, earning three Asia Cup appearances along the way.
Dubai: From being bowled out for just nine runs in their first international match in 2007 to making their third consecutive Asia Cup appearance, UAE women’s cricket has travelled a remarkable distance.
The team has experienced its share of setbacks along the way, including the heartbreak of narrowly missing qualification for the 2024 T20 World Cup. But its progress has been steady, with a new generation of players now preparing to represent the UAE on home soil.
The 2026 T20 Women’s Asia Cup, running from August 28 to September 13 in Dubai, gives the team a particularly meaningful opportunity.
For captain Esha Oza, the biggest difference this time will be seeing family and friends in the stands.
“Playing such a big tournament at home in front of our family and friends, it’s going to be an amazing experience,” Esha told Khaleej Times.
The UAE’s previous Asia Cup appearances came in Bangladesh in 2022 and Sri Lanka in 2024. For many players, their families had never been able to watch them play at a major international tournament in person.
“Most of the time we’ve been playing in other countries,” Esha said. “Here, I think just having all of them sit in the stands as a big bunch and all just supporting us … is really going to motivate us to do even better.”
From nine runs to the Asia Cup
The UAE women’s team’s journey began in difficult circumstances.
In their first international match in 2007, the side was bowled out for nine. Nearly two decades later, the team has established itself as a regular presence in regional women’s cricket.
The progress has not been without disappointment. The UAE came close to qualifying for the 2024 T20 World Cup but ultimately missed out.
Now, the players have another opportunity to test themselves against some of Asia’s strongest teams.
Esha Oza wants more girls to play cricket.
Esha, a prolific batter and former ICC Player of the Month, believes the tournament can have an impact beyond the results.
With the UAE hosting the competition, she expects more children to watch the team and see women’s cricket up close.
“We know a lot of eyeballs will be on us during the tournament,” she said. “It’s a great way to get more girls within the UAE to pick up a bat and ball as well.”
For Esha, visibility matters. Young girls seeing UAE players represent their country could make international cricket feel like a realistic destination rather than something distant.
UAE face tough Asia Cup group
The UAE are drawn in Group B alongside Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and debutants Indonesia.
The group presents a difficult challenge, with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh among the established teams in Asian women’s cricket.
But Esha has set an ambitious target.
“A good finish would be us getting to the semifinals, I would say, a minimum,” she said.
The UAE will need to finish strongly in the group to reach the knockout stage, but the captain believes aiming for the best teams is essential if the side wants to improve.
“We know that we’re going to compete against a lot of high-ranked and top-ranked sides,” Esha said. “But that’s somewhere we want to get as well. And if we don’t aim for that, we’re not going anywhere.”
More than a tournament
For UAE women’s cricket, the 2026 Asia Cup represents more than another appearance on the international calendar.
It is a chance for families to watch their daughters play at home, for young fans to see UAE players as sporting role models and for the team to measure how far it has come since that nine-run beginning in 2007.
Esha hopes the impact lasts beyond the tournament.
She wants young girls to come to the stadium, watch their idols, create memories and eventually step onto the field themselves to represent the UAE.
That may be the most meaningful measure of how far the team has travelled.
Source: KT
Members of the UAE national women’s team
