The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) embodies the national cricket team of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Cricket may have been introduced in the country by the British Army in the late 19th century, but it started to flourish when the ECB was formed in 1989. Within a year of the ECB's formation, the UAE achieved its Associate status. 

Despite having a weak national team, the ECB has always been able to host bigger sides during bilateral and multinational tournaments, thanks to aid from India and Pakistan. Over the years, the country has hosted top teams in some iconic tournaments. The famous 'desert storm' games in which Sachin Tendulkar scored two back-to-back tons against Australia were played in Sharjah. Apart from a T20I World Cup being held in the country in 2021, the Pakistan national team played all its home matches in UAE for almost a decade since the attack on the Sri Lankan team took place in Lahore in 2009. 

Notably with over 300 matches, the Sharjah Cricket Stadium holds the distinction of hosting the most number of ODI games among all the stadiums in the world. 

As far as the UAE cricket team is concerned, the side won the ICC Trophy in 1994, securing the qualification for the 1996 Cricket World Cup, hosted in the subcontinent by India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. During the World Cup, the UAE's Sultan Zarawani famously batted without a helmet against the South African legend Allan Donald. 

However, the team had to wait for almost two decades to participate and earn their next invite to the World Cup. 

In between the ICC events in 1996 and 2015, the UAE participated in the Asia Cups of 2004 and 2008. 

In the mid 2020s, the team won a T20I series against Bangladesh, adding beautiful chapters in the UAE folklore.

Interestingly, the ICC headquarter is located in UAE, which speaks of the country's importance in the global cricketing ecosystem. 

(As of September 2025)