Sultan Zarawani
Encyclopedia
Sultan Mohammed Zarawani (born 24 January 1961, Dubai
, United Arab Emirates
) is a former United Arab Emirates
cricket
er. He played seven one-day international
s. After the 1996 Cricket World Cup
, he was banned for life when he criticised the officials of the Emirates Cricket Board.
Under his leadership, the UAE won the 1994 ICC Trophy
in Kenya which earned them qualification for the 1996 Cricket World Cup
. He also captained the UAE in their first-ever One Day International match which was played against India. Although his team was defeated, Zarawani did manage to capture one wicket - that of Sachin Tendulkar
.
He is best known for facing South African fast bowler Allan Donald
without a helmet at the World Cup and being hit by a fierce bouncer. Donald recorded in his autobiography
that he feared initially that he had killed him. Despite the blow, Zarawani still continued to refuse the offer of a helmet but only lasted six more balls before he was dismissed and taken straight to hospital
.
The only locally-produced player on the 1996 side, Zarawani was purportedly held in very high esteem by his team-mates, of whom there were allegedly fewer than the pricey motor cars in his possession.
He left the international game with ODI batting and bowling averages of 4.33 and 51 respectively. "Swap the figures round, as they say, and you'd have one hell of an allrounder," mused Lawrence Booth.
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
, United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
) is a former United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates cricket team
The United Arab Emirates national cricket team is the team that represents the country of the United Arab Emirates in international cricket matches...
cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er. He played seven one-day international
One-day International
A One Day International is a form of limited overs cricket, in which a fixed number of overs, usually 50, but in the past 40, 45 or 60 overs, are played between two teams with international status. The Cricket World Cup is played in this format...
s. After the 1996 Cricket World Cup
1996 Cricket World Cup
The 1996 Cricket World Cup, also called the Wills World Cup after its official sponsors, was the sixth edition of the tournament organized by the International Cricket Council . It was the second World Cup to be hosted by Pakistan and India, and for the first time by Sri Lanka...
, he was banned for life when he criticised the officials of the Emirates Cricket Board.
Career
In the early 1990s, when the Emirates Cricket Board adopted a policy of recruiting expatriate cricketers from Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka for the national side, Zarawani, the sole native Emirati in the team, was appointed as captain.Under his leadership, the UAE won the 1994 ICC Trophy
1994 ICC Trophy
The ABN-AMRO 1994 ICC Trophy was a cricket tournament that took place in Kenya in February/March 1994. It was the qualifying tournament for the 1996 Cricket World Cup. The UAE defeated the host nation Kenya in the final and the Netherlands finished 3rd with all 3 sides qualifing for their first...
in Kenya which earned them qualification for the 1996 Cricket World Cup
1996 Cricket World Cup
The 1996 Cricket World Cup, also called the Wills World Cup after its official sponsors, was the sixth edition of the tournament organized by the International Cricket Council . It was the second World Cup to be hosted by Pakistan and India, and for the first time by Sri Lanka...
. He also captained the UAE in their first-ever One Day International match which was played against India. Although his team was defeated, Zarawani did manage to capture one wicket - that of Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is an Indian cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the leading run-scorer and century maker in Test and one-day international cricket. He is the only male player to score a double century in the history of ODI cricket...
.
He is best known for facing South African fast bowler Allan Donald
Allan Donald
Allan Anthony Donald is a former South African cricketer and one of their most successful pace bowlers.In his prime, he was one of the best fast bowlers ever seen in Test cricket, reaching the top of the ICC Test rankings in 1998 and peaked with a top ICC ranking of 895 points the next year, the...
without a helmet at the World Cup and being hit by a fierce bouncer. Donald recorded in his autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
that he feared initially that he had killed him. Despite the blow, Zarawani still continued to refuse the offer of a helmet but only lasted six more balls before he was dismissed and taken straight to hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
.
The only locally-produced player on the 1996 side, Zarawani was purportedly held in very high esteem by his team-mates, of whom there were allegedly fewer than the pricey motor cars in his possession.
He left the international game with ODI batting and bowling averages of 4.33 and 51 respectively. "Swap the figures round, as they say, and you'd have one hell of an allrounder," mused Lawrence Booth.