Abu Dhabi: With six spots up for grabs to qualify for the ICC World Twenty20 2014 in Bangladesh, the UAE have a great opportunity to board the flight to the elite event next year.
But skipper Khurram Khan is not worked up thinking about that prospect. Instead, he is more focused on the immediate job on hand as the UAE prepare for the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier which begins from Friday in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.
The UAE are placed in Group A along with Ireland, Namibia, Canada, Uganda, USA, Italy and Hong Kong while Group B consists of Afghanistan, The Netherlands, Scotland, Kenya, Bermuda, Denmark, Nepal and Papua New Guinea.
The hosts open their campaign on Friday against Uganda in Abu Dhabi. “We don’t want to think beyond this tournament at the moment. Yes, it will be our focus to qualify for the big event. It would be a dream come true but for now we don’t want to take any games lightly,” Khan told XPRESS.
“The team has been preparing really hard and the boys know their responsibilities. So we expect to have a good tournament,” he added.
The top two finishers in each group will directly qualify for the World Cup. The second and third teams of each group will play cross-over matches and the winners also progress.
The sides that finish fourth and fifth in each of the groups will also play cross-over matches. The winners of these two matches will then play the losers of the second and third cross-over matches with the winners qualifying.
“We have the potential to win. The team has been doing well over the past one year. So that should give the team a big confidence boost,” Khan said.
“There are some strong teams in our group including Ireland and Twenty20 is a very unpredictable game. We have to ensure we are at the top of our form every time we enter the ground,” added Khan, playing down the home advantage .
The skipper said he was particularly happy with the way the boys had improved their fitness which would be crucial for this format. “Our coach Aaqib Javed has done a wonderful job. He has worked closely with the team and ensured every body is in shape.”
Squad: Khurram Khan (captain), Saqib Ali, Shaiman Anwar, Muhammad Azam, Nasir Aziz, Amjad Javed, Asim Kurshid, Rohan Mustafa, Muhammad Naveed, Swapnil Patil, Ahmed Raza, Abdul Shakoor, Kamran Shahzad, Shadeep Silva, Muhammad Shafiq
Groups
Group A: Ireland, Namibia, Canada, Uganda, USA, Italy, Hong Kong and the UAE.
Group B: Afghanistan, Netherlands, Scotland, Kenya, Bermuda, Denmark, Nepal and Papua New Guinea.
UAE fixtures (All in Abu Dhabi)
Nov 15: v Uganda
Nov 16: v Namibia
Nov 17: v Ireland
Nov 19: v Hong Kong
Nov 22: v Canada
Nov 23: v Italy
Nov 24: v United States of America
