Lalchand Rajput roped in as UAE head coach

Former India cricketer Lalchand Rajput has been appointed head coach of the United Arab Emirates men's team for a three-year period.

He replaces Pakistan's Mudassar Nazar.

Rajput's first assignment with the side will be the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 tri-series against Scotland and Canada, being hosted in the UAE from February 28. It will be followed by a three-match T20I series against Scotland at home next month.

The 62-year-old Rajput's appointment comes in the backdrop of UAE failing to make it to the T20 World Cup to be held in the West Indies and the USA this year.

"UAE has emerged as one of the stronger Associate Members in recent years, and the players have put in some good performances in both ODIs and T20Is. The current batch is exceptionally talented, and I look forward to working with them and further harnessing their cricket skills," Rajput, who played two Tests and four ODIs for India, said in an Emirates Cricket Board release on Wednesday.

"I am confident that the boys, buoyed by their exposure to top-quality cricket and practice facilities here in Dubai, will continue to prosper. UAE cricket has a very bright future and my goal would be to make the team perform more consistently and take them to the next level which I am very confident they are fully capable of," he added.

Rajput was India coach when the team won the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007. He also had a coaching stint with Afghanistan between 2016-17, during which the ICC granted the country Test status.

His last stint as coach was with Zimbabwe (2018-22), helping the side qualify for the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, where the Chevrons made it to the Super-12 stage.