DUBAI When the entire UAE was waiting with bated breath to know the results of Expo 2020 in Paris, celebrations had already began at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi after UAE qualified for a different Twenty20.
The hosts defeated Netherlands by 10 runs in the World T20 qualifiers to qualify for the T20 World Cup to be held next year in Bangladesh.
But skipper Khurram Khan, while expressing delight over the qualification, said they will continue to work hard work and possibly hope for a double delight by achieving a similar result for the 2015 World Cup when they play the ICC Cricket World Cup qualifiers in New Zealand.
The tournament will see the 10 associate and affiliate teams compete from January 13 to February 1, 2014. The UAE had recently missed out narrowly on a qualifying berth after having lost by a point in the World Cricket League in which Afghanistan and Ireland qualified.
over the moon
“Everybody is over the moon after the victory,” Khan said. “But we have more hard work to do when we go to New Zealand and try to qualify for the main World Cup which will be another big achievement,” he added.
Despite having scored just 117, the UAE managed to restrict Netherlands to 107 for nine in 20 overs. “Our bowlers did a fabulous job, especially spinners Nasir Aziz and Shadeep Silva. The boys were brilliant on the field which resulted in two crucial run outs.
“It was a combined effort. The fitness level of the boys is great and everyone has been really working hard to achieve this. It feels great to have contributed to the team’s success,” added Khurram, who has done well with the bat scoring two half centuries in the tournament so far.
Praising coach Aaqib Javed for his immense contribution, Khan said: “He has played an important role in this. He has kept the morale of the players high and worked hard with the players. You can see how much the boys look fit and have the belief in themselves to do well.”
Khan, 41, who is at the twilight of his illustrious career, said it was one of his biggest personal achievements. “It’s a great feeling to have got an opportunity to lead such a wonderful team. I’m happy with the way the team is performing at the moment and we hope to continue to work hard and achieve more success,” he said.
Khan said the efforts were particularly praiseworthy since none of the players were full-time cricketers. “This is big since we have jobs to do and then play cricket. We will continue to work hard and bring more success to the UAE and hopefully we will see the UAE having full-time cricketers soon.”
