DUBAI, Oct 6: Former Pakistan skipper Imran Khan has called for a “strong, competitive” domestic league if cricket in the UAE is to flourish.

“You can only produce quality cricketers if domestic structure is properly streamlined. You can have six or eight teams competing in the league. May be, you can import a couple of players to make it more intense and interesting,” Imran said at Shyam Bhatia’s awards presentation ceremony in Dubai.

“Cricket in England flourished when each county used to have two overseas players, but once they kicked them out their standard declined sharply.

“England have reverted to the old system and I am sure things will improve,” he said. “In the UAE, you have good experienced coaches like Abid Ali, but unless and until you have a competive league system, nothing will work,” said Imran.

“The only coaching I received was how to play forward and on backfoot when I was 11 and the rest I learned by watching players,” said Imran who strongly feels emerging cricketing nations who should try and emulate Australian system of grooming players.

“Australia have one of the best structures for cricket. The standard of their domestic league is as good as that of Test level. The rivalry is intense between states and that’s why they are best in the business.

“I myself have played one season with New South Wales and know quality of cricket there. Countries like Bangladesh and Kenya haven’t improved as much as they should have simply because they lack competition at home.

“When I was captain of Pakistan, standard of our first class cricket was of low quality — it still is — but Sharjah played a key role in developing our cricket. For instance, I blooded a raw Waqar Younis and he improved quickly simply because India-Pakistan matches at Sharjah were high pressure games,” Imran said.

“We have infrastructure good enough to host mini-World Cup, but we must have inter-emirates and AGCC level tournaments to promote standard of game here,” Bhatia said.

He recalled leadership qualities and Imran and spoke of how he handled his World Cup-winning team when chips were down.

Abdul Rahman Falaknaz, chairman of Dubai Cricket Council, called Imran best all-rounder of his time who “caused joy and worry for many cricketers”.

“I can still recall his 6-14 spell against India at Sharjah. Though Pakistan lost the match, it was a treat to watch Imran in full flow. When Syed Kirmani returned to pavilion after being bowled by Imran, I asked him what had happened, he said, ‘Nothing I just couldn’t even see the ball.”—PPI