UAE appoint Yasir Arafat as bowling coach ahead of T20 World Cup

DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has strengthened its coaching set-up ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 by appointing former Pakistan all-rounder Yasir Arafat as the team’s bowling coach.

The appointment is being hailed as a significant development for UAE cricket, which aims to make the bowling department more effective and organised in the World Cup.

Yasir Arafat represented Pakistan in the 2007 and 2012 T20 World Cups, while he is known for his experience, discipline and professional thinking in limited-overs cricket.

His recognition as a coach was further strengthened when he became the first Pakistani cricketer to obtain the ECB Level Four coaching qualification from Loughborough University, which is considered a significant milestone in the field of high-performance coaching.

Yasir Arafat has extensive experience working in different cricket systems. He has coached England’s county teams Sussex and Surrey, and was also associated with the Perth Scorchers in Australia’s Big Bash League.

He has also served as a high-performance coach in Pakistan’s cricket structure, bowling coach for the Hong Kong cricket team and bowling consultant for South Africa.

The UAE Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed Yasir Arafat’s appointment at the announcement of the team’s World Cup squad, saying that he will not only be part of the team during the World Cup campaign but will also play a key role in the preparations for the series before the tournament.

According to the board, Yasir Arafat, 43, will also work with the team in the two-match T20 International series against Ireland before the World Cup, to further refine the bowling plans.

It should be noted that the 20-team ICC T20 World Cup 2026 will be played in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8, where the UAE team hopes to achieve significant results through improved bowling tactics and effective performance under pressure.