After giving up cricket in Multan and moving to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for a job, fast bowler Junaid Siddique never in his wildest dreams would have thought he would be back again on the field, playing the sport for his adopted country. He did not just play, he dominated.

Today, he is the leading T20 International (T20I) wicket-taker for the UAE with 117 scalps and is second on the list when it comes to One-Day International (ODI) wickets (86). And now he is all set to play in his second T20 World Cup.

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“In 2014, when I moved to the UAE, I had moved for a job. I didn’t have a mindset for cricket. I had already left cricket. So when I moved to the UAE, I just wanted to support my family because my family background wasn’t that strong. So when I went there, I was searching for a job. Along with searching for a job, I thought that I should play cricket for fitness or for time pass,” Siddique recalls his journey in a chat with TheCrichub.com.

“So after three and a half years, I started playing cricket again. So my new friend called me and said that you play cricket well. He told me to start playing tournaments. I said okay, I will come. So I told him to find a job for me. So from there, my journey started.

“Slowly, I started playing day by day. Then people got to know about me that there is a fast bowler by the name of Junaid. He is a good bowler. So slowly, I started earning from there. Then I thought that I can’t do a job now. It’s just cricket. I am made for cricket. So, I started playing cricket from there,” says the 33-year right-arm pacer.

“I started playing in tournaments in Sharjah and Dubai,” Siddique adds further. “I started playing in tough cricket tournaments. There was a Ramadan cup in Sharjah. I became the best bowler there. After that, I got a call for the UAE camp. Then I started going to the UAE camp. I attended the camp for 2-3 months. Then in 2019, I debuted in the T20 World Cup qualifier.

Initially, it was not all easy for Siddique. He took a while to get acclimatised to the demands of international cricket, and as a result, worked harder on his skills and fitness to perform at the highest level.

“I have been playing for the last 5-6 years. The first two years were challenging to understand things at the international level. To show myself on the international stage,” he admits. 

“Slowly, I realised what I should work on. I worked on my fitness. As I kept playing cricket, I learnt a lot. I try to learn from all the players I meet. So that I can learn something in the future. That is my main focus. My second focus is to maintain my basic skills.”

The 33-year-old persisted and is now a central figure in the UAE’s bowling line-up. However, things have not gone well for them of late. They lost a T20I series (2-0) against Ireland and were also blown away by fellow associates Nepal in the warm-up match ahead of the World Cup.

Siddique says those losses have taught the team what they need to work on heading into the tournament.

“We have learnt a lot from the last three games. This will help us in the World Cup preparations. We have pinpointed certain mistakes we made in those games, which we cannot afford to do at the World Cup. We have spoken a lot about that and have worked on it with our coaches to ensure we do not repeat those mistakes,” the pacer reveals.

“We have prepared well for the last two months. We have worked hard with the coaches. We are hopeful and believe in our hard work that we will qualify for the next round. We have come here to play well. You will see a different UAE side [at the World Cup].

The UAE have been blessed with some top coaches. They had Robin Singh for many years, followed by Mudassar Nazar, who had successful stints with the team. In 2024, the UAE appointed renowned Indian coach Lalchand Rajput to take them forward, and the results have been excellent, especially in T20Is.

In this period, they won a three-match series against Bangladesh, went on an 11-match winning streak in a row and most importantly, qualified for the T20 World Cup, after missing out in 2024.

Siddique believes Rajput’s strict demeanour on the field and a chilled figure off it has rubbed off well in the team.

“I like working with him. He has a different mindset. He always advises you to strengthen your basics. He is very hardworking. He is very strict. He gives you a lot of confidence,” Siddique said. 

“He insists on coming to the ground on time and do everything on time. That makes you a professional. His arrival has helped a lot of boys become more professional. He works a lot with the boys. He treats them like family. He treats everyone like family. He backs a lot of boys. He sits with them and talks to them during their ups and downs. If something is not going well with the players, he discusses a Plan B with them.”

The Middle East side will take on New Zealand in their first match of the T20 World Cup on February 10 in Chennai. Siddique is no stranger to faring well against the big teams, as he showed in the Asia Cup last year, where he picked up four wickets against Pakistan. He has already pinpointed Finn Allen and Daryl Mitchell as the two scalps he would like to take along with those of Quinton de Kock and Dewald Brevis, when his side takes on South Africa in their final group stage match in Delhi on February 18.

Regardless of how the World Cup goes for Siddique, you can rest assured that he will rise to the occasion, just as he has since he began playing for the UAE. While he believes his side consists of good pacers like Muhammad Jawadullah and Muhammad Rohid, there is little doubt that Siddique’s experience will prove pivotal as the UAE look to add to their solitary win in the competition.

A decade ago, he had given up on the sport, and now, he is not just fighting in a World Cup but wants to take cricket in the Middle East to a whole new height. His decision to give up hopes of taking up a job to pursue cricket full-time certainly looks like the right call.

(Pramod Ananth is a cricket journalist focused on Associate cricket, bringing in-depth coverage of emerging teams, tournaments, and the global growth of the game. He tweets his opinion @pramz on X …)