DUBAI Only 11 players with their coach of the UAE under-19 team could travel to Kuwait to participate in the Asian Cricket Council’s U-19 Premier tournament after visa issues denied the rest of players from travelling.
The important tournament, which serves as the qualifying round for the ICC Under-19 World Cup in 2016, began on Sunday and will go on till November 16. A total of six teams, including the UAE, fight for the top slot allowing them to qualify directly for the elite event. The second finisher will play the global qualifiers giving them another chance to qualify.
Good chance
“It’s been difficult but our boys have still managed to keep their morale going,” said head coach Mohammad Hyder.
The UAE began their campaign on a sad note, losing terribly to Afghanistan, but were back on track defeating Saudi Arabia by four wickets. They still have another three matches to go. “We still have a good chance to keep our hopes alive. Against Afghanistan we had lots of drop catches behind the stumps since our regular wicketkeeper was not available.
“We are still in the reckoning and we are confident our boys can keep upt the good work,” Hyder added.
Meanwhile, the Emirates Cricket Board was trying to sort out the visa problems to ensure the remaining boys joined the team well before their third match on Thursday. “It’s really sad that an important tournament was arranged in such a shoddy manner and a few boys had to miss the bus for no fault of theirs,” said a parent.
