Moeen Ali announced as captain of Sharjah team in UAE's ILT20

Moeen Ali has been named the captain of the Sharjah Warriors team ahead of the inaugural edition of the UAE ILT20. The Capri Global-owned Sharjah Warriors will be coached by the former England assistant coach Paul Farbrace. The tournament will be held across Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah and will begin on January 13.

“It is a great honour and would be a pleasure to lead Sharjah Warriors,” said Ali. “In this format, anybody can beat anybody, and it is important to keep evolving. With the team at our disposal, we can play aggressive, yet sensible cricket and hopefully be in the mix towards the business end of the ILT20. Playing at world-class facilities and especially the iconic Sharjah Stadium is a very exciting prospect, and we are all looking forward to it.”  

Fabrace, who had coached Sri Lanka to the Asia Cup and T20 World Cup title back in 2014, said: "The T20 format has been challenging and yet most rewarding,” said Farbrace who had helped Sri Lanka win the 2014 Asia Cup and the ICC World T20 trophy in the same year. Often considered a T20 magician, he briefly served as England’s interim national coach amid stints as deputy to Peter Moores and Trevor Bayliss and mentored some of England’s current World T20 winning crop over the last decade. “It is nice to see talent from around the world getting more opportunities. I am aware of how cricket is followed here as an extension of the subcontinent. I hope we can work some magic here to inspire future generations and even generate local interest.”

Rajesh Sharma, Founder Director, Capri Global Holdings said: "We are twinning the Emirates Cricket Board and ILT20 in our aspirations to become the fastest growing brand and occupy the top perch in international franchise cricket.”   

“And under Farbrace, we have the right resources to pack a punch in a league full of established players. Yet the beauty of cricket is that it is such a leveller. With the team shaping up as it is, we are confident our Warriors can build memories with the ILT20 and the sport just how Sharjah has had a beautiful relationship in cricketing history."

Dawid Malan, Evin Lewis, Mohammad Nabi and Chris Woakes are among the other international stars who are part of the Warriors setup.