UAE appoint Owais Shah as interim head coach

After a 15-day coaching stint in UAE last month to oversee their matches against Oman, Owais Shah has been retained for a further period of three months as interim coach.

The former England batsman replaces Aaquib Javed, who resigned in April after a four-year run at the helm, to return to his home country of Pakistan.

Since Javed relinquished his post, the Emirates Cricket Board has been jostling for a full-time replacement. Reportedly, they weren't keen on Shah for the role and were in pursuit of someone more experienced. However, the 38-year old is said to have made quite an impression on the team during his brief stint.

"We are very pleased to confirm that Owais will continue working as interim head coach for a three-month period. In a short time Owais has developed a strong rapport with the players and Emirates Cricket support staff and we expect to see gains, both in development and on the scoreboard, from his involvement as we enter a very busy playing schedule" David East, the Emirates Cricket Board chief executive, said on Monday (November 7).

UAE are going through a dismal run which stretches as far back as the 2015 Cricket World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. A winless streak in the four-day Intercontinental Cup and just one win in the 50-over World Cricket League Championship is hardly much to speak of. They'd be hoping that Shah, who has played six Tests and 88 limited-overs matches for England during his eight-year career, would serve as a catalyst for a turnaround.