Playing for UAE matters, don't pay attention to India or Pakistan: Haider Ali

UAE cricketer Haider Ali, in an exclusive interaction with India Today, said the focus is on playing good cricket for UAE, as the India-Pakistan tensions have had no impact on the camaraderie within the UAE cricket team, which includes expatriates from both countries.

"Look, we never think about whether a player is from India or Pakistan. We are representing UAE because they have shown us respect. There's an element of respect, so we function like a family. For us, it doesn't matter whether someone is from India or Pakistan. We play as players, and they play as players. That's what matters to us; nationality doesn't. See, as I said earlier, we are representing them. We are AS AU (all-national) players. It doesn't matter what is happening in Pakistan or India—that's their headache, not ours. Our focus is on cricket, and we don't pay attention to those things," UAE's Haider Ali told India Today in an exclusive interaction.