World Twenty20 team preview: UAE

Cricket365
March 15, 2014

Aside from Afghanistan, the UAE are the sentimental underdogs, consisting of part-time players who are mostly over the age of 30. They play the game for the love of it, and reaching this stage has been a huge achievement.

Captain: Khurram Khan Coach: Aaqib Javed WT20 Best: First time entrants

Overview Aside from Afghanistan, the UAE are the sentimental underdogs, consisting of part-time players who are mostly over the age of 30. They play the game for the love of it, and reaching this stage has been a huge achievement.

They haven't played this level of cricket in nearly 20 years, and don't even have an official T20 on their books. They beat Nepal and Hong Kong in the warm ups though, and will be familiar with the conditions, so at least one win isn't out of the question.

Key Batsman Wicketkeeper Amjad Ali appears to be their in-form batsman at the moment, recording a half ton in the warm ups, and is their best current batsman if ODI records are to be believed. His List A average is nearly 30.

Key Bowler Medium pacer Kamran Shahzad appears to have a decent recent record, despite his lack of experience, and took wickets in all three-warm up matches ahead of the tournament.

Likely Benchwarmer Teenage spinner Moaaz Qazi did really well in the Under19 World Cup, but has only played one warm-up game, where he didn't get to bowl. He doesn't have an international senior cap yet.

Cricket365's Prediction We reckon they'll try really hard, and give the more experienced sides a few scares, but not record a win. This appears to be more about experience for them, and a chance to grow the game at home.

They Said: "You can't take cricket seriously as a career in the UAE at the moment. We all have different full-time jobs and we play in our spare time. Qualifying for the World Cup is a huge achievement for a team which is not professional. But the times are changing and there are lots of young players coming into the game who can take up cricket as a career." – captain Khurram Khan.

Squad: Khurram Khan, Ahmed Raza, Amjad Ali, Amjad Javed, Sharif Asadullah, Faizan Asif, Kamran Shahzad, Manjula Guruge, Moaaz Qazi, Rohan Mustafa, Swapnil Patil, Rohit Singh, Shadeep Silva, Shaiman Anwar, Vikrant Shetty.

Fixtures 17 March: v Netherlands, Sylhet 19 March: v Ireland, Sylhet 21 March: v Zimbabwe, Sylhet