UAE grants citizenship to Pakistani and Indian cricketers in historic move
UAE grants citizenship to Pakistani and Indian cricketers in historic move
By Nawaz Gohar ; The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has granted citizenship to several cricketers, including players of Pakistani and Indian origin.
According to a report by ESPNcricinfo, Khuzaima Tanveer, Ajay Kumar, Akshdeep Nath, Harpreet Bhatia, and Adeeb Usmani have been granted UAE citizenship through naturalization. These athletes have made history by becoming the first group of cricketers to receive this honor.
While several athletes in football, rugby, and judo have received UAE citizenship following a 2018 presidential decree, UAE cricket has historically relied on expatriate players qualifying under the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) three-year residency rule.
With this transition, these five players will now represent the UAE as formal citizens and passport holders, rather than as resident expatriates.
The newly naturalized players are currently part of a 17-member national squad in Nepal, where they are scheduled to compete in two T20 Internationals and a One Day International (ODI) tri-country series.
