Haider Ali

Born in a remote village of Pakistan, UAE cricketer Haider Ali’s cricketing journey is a story of grit and perseverance. A left-arm orthodox spinner, he moved to the UAE in 2022 in pursuit of opportunities, but his path to professional cricket was anything but straightforward.

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Haider’s family struggled to make ends meet. To support them, he worked as a fruit seller in Dubai’s bustling markets by day and took on late-night shifts at warehouses. Often, he would return home exhausted, yet still wake up at dawn to bowl for hours in the nets. He recalls how, at times, he barely had money for proper cricket shoes, taping together worn-out pairs just to continue training.

Haider was raised by his uncle ,who didn't allow him to play cricket until he passed his class X exams. Once he passed it, he shifted to Lahore to pursue his cricketing dreams. Over there, he joined the Ludhiana Gymkhana Club under the guidance of famous coach Mumtaz Akhtar Butt. 

During COVID-19, Haider escaped a life-threatening road accident. Though he got his shoulder and leg broken, he recovered from that tragedy and started playing cricket. 

Haider’s resilience caught attention in the International League T20, where he represented the Dubai Capitals and became the tournament’s leading wicket-taker in one season. His defining moment came in the ILT20 final, when he produced match-winning figures of 4 for 11, lifting his team to glory.

The pinnacle of his rise arrived in May 2025, when he made his T20I debut for the UAE against Bangladesh. In the series decider, he bowled a dream spell of 3 for 7, guiding the UAE to their first-ever T20I series win over a Test-playing nation. After the game, he tearfully recalled how only a few years earlier he had been selling fruit on the streets.

Notably, the 1994-born cricketer made his debut in Pakistan's premier first-class domestic competition, the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, in the 2018-19 season.  

Haider Ali is more than a cricketer—he is a reminder that dreams endure, even through hardship, and with persistence, impossible journeys can become history. He aims to help UAE qualify for the T20I World Cup in 2026.

(As of September 2025)