Moula : I started playing cricket in 1993 at the age of 18. Cricket runs in my family from very early days. I used to see my uncles and cousins playing cricket at a time when I started out as a Hockey Player ! I slowly developed an interest through softball cricket before getting into the game at a more serious level through hardball cricket.

omanicricket.com - What is your role towards Cricket in Oman?

Moula : I have been involved with cricket since 1993. However, I have the nucleus of a fantastic Omani team. I see my role as finding new Omani talent and providing it with a platform to develop and showcase their talent with professional help of coaches.

omanicricket.com - What is your view on the development of cricket in Oman?

Moula : The game requires a lot of development in Oman. Awareness has to be created at grass root levels for the game to find young Omani talent at an early stage. Even today, the National Team consists largely of expatriate players who play under the 4-year and 7-year qualification rules. While this has brought laurels to the Sultanate over time, this is hardly a long term solution if we wish to see Omanis take up this sport in a big way. While we welcome the expatriate players to play in our National Team, they also have a responsibility as professional players which most of them are, to teach and nurture their Omani colleagues.

omanicricket.com - You are the manager of the newly formed Al Hail Cricket Team. They were the champion of the OCC G division last year, and reached the finals of the OCC Junior Knockout too. You must be feeling a sense of achievement?

Moula : It is a very proud moment for me as the Manager of a first-time entrant team in the professional OCC League. However, I was just the guiding hand, the stupendous efforts were actually put in by the boys to achieve the results they did. The great strength of this team is that it does not believe in giving up at any stage of the game and truly believes it can win from any situation. This was also reflected in many of our matches where we made a comeback from hopeless situations.

omanicricket.com - Do you have any strategies in place for your young Omani team? What is your vision for their future?

Moula : . I do not believe in theoretical and classroom training as I find it to have limited usage. Best training is imparted on a cricket ground in a live match which is what I am trying to offer my players. My strategy involves taking the help of experienced and professional cricketers to develop my young Omani team. We have roped in some highly talented and experienced expat players who have been entrusted a dual role of teaching the young Omani players the practical nuances of the game through live match situations. These expats form part of the squad and teach the players the finer points of the game right through actual matches which they also form part of. Mind you, the squad is still predominantly Omani in nature as only 1-2 expats form part of the playing XI, more from the perspective of imparting “on the job” training to the Omani players than their own performance.   

omanicricket.com - How do you intend to take that step forward and push your team further towards glory?

Moula : Our performance in our very first season has proved many of our detractors wrong. The record speaks for itself: Champions of ‘G’ Division and Runners-Up in the 20/20 Knock-Out tournament in season 2010-11. As a result, one of our Omani players was selected in the National Omani squad that travelled to UAE in January this year for the Gulf Cup in which he performed quite well in the limited opportunities that he got. This tells me that our strategy of giving practical coaching to our Omani players is working well on the ground and is already getting us the results that we seek and quite quickly too. Thus, I intend to keep this strategy going and extend it by taking my team to UAE and other neighboring countries for cricketing tours to give the players a feel of different playing conditions. However, we will require some good level of corporate sponsorship to execute these plans. We are always open and welcome the corporate sector to associate with and support our Omani team.  

omanicricket.com - What is your view on the development of Omanis in the overall structure of cricket in Oman and what would you suggest to improve their participation in International level?

Moula : The Omanis need to be supported in a big way if the cricket administrators in Oman are serious about developing Omani talent and wish them to eventually form part of the Oman National Cricket Team in the future. Simply by including one Omani player in each expatriate team is not adequate. The teams that make the Omani players play in their respective teams should also take the responsibility of nurturing such players through practice, coaching, exposure etc. In addition, the cricket administrators need to organize special training camps specifically for the Omani players throughout the year and ensure inclusion of more than one Omani player in the higher divisions such as ‘A’  and ‘B’ divisions. Also, the Board should be composed of at least 3 Omani Managers of the All Omani Cricket Teams, who understand the ground realities and problems of the Omani players and can guide the Board in the right direction. Such steps are bound to create a pool of good Omani players who will be able to play the longer version of the game beyond the T/20s and will be able to contribute to the National Team on the International level over time. I do not say that this will happen immediately but we have to make a start now if we wish to see more Omani players in the National Team in 3-4 years time.

omanicricket.com - What are the drawbacks currently facing Omanis who try to represent their country at International level?

Moula : I would say lack of adequate Training and Experience. Training is required to hone the skills as raw talent is not enough, it has to be nurtured. In addition, adequate opportunities need to be provided on different playing surfaces to provide valuable experience of different playing conditions if we expect the Omani players to truly develop and compete at the international level.

omanicricket.com - Which players do you think have it in them to take that important step and play for their country?

Moula : This is an unfair question to ask which I cannot reply to. In my view, all the Omani players are good and are talented. It’s just that some have come into the limelight while others are still developing but are there, waiting for their chance to shine. Teams have to take the initiative to bring out the talent of their Omani players and nurture them to the level where they can play for Oman.

omanicricket.com - It is quite clear that there are a lot of skillful youngsters playing cricket in Oman, who if given the right training and guidance can develop into top quality players. What is holding them back?

Moula : You have answered your own question. Although there a number of skillful Omani players in the country, they need to be given the right training and guidance to help develop them into top quality players.

omanicricket.com - There are many players who are above 35 years of age. In this age of fast, athletic and aggressive cricket, do you think that these players should make way for the younger generation?

Moula : I definitely feel so. However, this should be done gradually. We must understand that we do not have a large pool of talent which is currently available to us that could be groomed in a short span of time for rigors of international cricket. Thus, a blend of youth and experience is the way forward. The seniors have a definite role to play in the development of Omani players for the long term future of cricket in our country. This way, we effectively have more than one coach as part of the team that will train the young Omani players for future assignments.

omanicricket.com - Omanicricket.com has heard of many coaching sessions available outside the country for which the national Cricket Board is requested to send players to train. How come Omanis are never invited?

Moula : Well, I do not have an answer to this question. This question is best answered by the cricket administrators in Oman which is the Oman Cricket Club (OCC). This will help us also in obtaining clarity on this issue.

omanicricket.com - What should be done to increase the knowledge and love for the game of Cricket in Oman? How can we encourage kids to pick up bat and ball and excel in it?

Moula : Media and OCC can play a big role in this. The OCC needs to advertise the game through print and viewing media, and organize exhibition matches by inviting at least the ‘A’ teams of leading cricketing nations. The OCC should introduce the game at grass root level by co-coordinating with the Ministry of Education and inducting the game in Omani schools. Getting cricketing stars of other cricket countries to come and giving talks and seminars will also help. It is not the path that one follows to encourage kids to play this game but the willpower and willingness to think out of the box to find a way to do it that matters.    

omanicricket.com - How can we encourage the selectors to pick more Omanis for the national team?

Moula : This can be done by introducing Omani players to higher level of cricket. The OCC can increase the minimum number of Omani players per team in ‘A’ and ‘B’ Divisions which will automatically help develop a good pool of Omani talent for the national team eventually. 

omanicricket.com - What are your views on the current situation of cricket in Oman? From what we know, there are hardly any grounds available to play? How will the OCC cope in the new season?

Moula : This is a very good question which seems to have no answer for many years now ! We have been hearing the cricket administrators promising us a grassy ground with a proper cricket turf wicket but it has not materialized so far. This year two more grounds will have to be relinquished back to the respective owners, leaving effectively only two cricket grounds for more than 60 teams to play the entire season on ! This is not a new problem that has emerged overnight but a very long standing one. We hear that a number of grounds are being developed in Amerat which we hope will be ready soon. Otherwise, the season could last well into June next year !

omanicricket.com - They’ve suggested moving to Al Amerat for the new season. How will that affect teams residing in Seeb?

Moula : It will make it difficult for the teams residing in Seeb as it will increase the time taken to reach the grounds substantially. This will be especially difficult for the teams for morning matches. But I guess it’s better to bear a little bit of travelling difficulties than not to be able to play cricket at all!