Oscar Nauhaus appointed new head coach of UAE women's cricket team

The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) has turned to a familiar face in regional cricket as it looks to continue the upward trajectory of its women's programme, appointing Namibia's Oscar Nauhaus as the new head coach of the UAE Women's cricket team. He will take charge of the side from November.

Nauhaus most recently served as High Performance Manager at Cricket Namibia, where he was responsible for developing and nurturing emerging talent.

Nauhaus has a background in Sport Science. He was also part of Namibia's men's coaching setup during the 2024 T20 World Cup campaign. During his tenure, Namibia qualified for the 2024 ICC Men's U19 World Cup. Having previously worked at the Zayed Cricket Academy in Abu Dhabi, Nauhaus is well acquainted with the UAE cricket ecosystem. He has also been involved with Team Abu Dhabi in the Abu Dhabi T10 tournament.

Nauhaus replaces Shubha Venkatraman, who served as the interim head coach of the UAE Women's team following the departure of full-time head coach Ahmed Raza in June.

Nauhaus expressed gratitude to the ECB after securing what he described as a "prestigious role".

"It is indeed a great honour to take charge of the incredibly talented UAE Women's National Cricket Team, which has produced some fantastic performances in recent times. UAE cricket is undoubtedly on the rise, as reflected in the team's impressive displays at the Women's Asia Cup.

"I am grateful to the Emirates Cricket Board for selecting me for this prestigious role. I am excited to begin this new chapter and look forward to joining the team in Dubai. My aim will be to build on the good work done by my predecessor and help take the team to the next level."

UAE women were last in action at the Women's Asia Cup in August-September, where they ran former champions, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, close.