UAE cricket team a balanced one, coach says

Sharjah: The UAE national squad for their match against the Netherlands in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Intercontinental Cup and the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Championship is a balanced one, according to coach Aaqib Javed.

A 14-member squad will fly to the Netherlands on July 12 to begin their campaign for qualifying for the the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.

The UAE is currently tied at the top of the table with Ireland with 10 points from six matches in the World Cricket League — the top two finishers will make the cut for the next World Cup. The team is being led by the experienced allrounder Khurram Khan.

Speaking to Gulf News after picking the final squad from among the 25 probables who attended the camp, former Pakistan pace bowler Javed said: “Selecting the UAE squad is a tricky one as one has to observe a lot of procedures. Players’ eligibility plays a big role as there are restrictions in the number of players than can be selected from those who have completed four years of residence and seven years of stay here. So we have to make many compromises to find the right balance. Despite all these limitations we have picked a balanced team.”

Javed, who conducted a talent-hunt by visiting all the cricket academies in the UAE and also watching domestic matches, is confident that this team can emerge triumphant. “In Holland, we will have seaming conditions and hence we need good pacers. We have three excellent pacers in Naveed Saleem, who can bowl around 140kmph, Manjula Asanka from Abu Dhabi, who is really quick and Asadullah Shareef who has played first class cricket in Pakistan. We also have a fine medium pace allrounder in Amjad Javed too. So bowling will be our strength.”

Javed candidly admitted that the Dutch will be an unknown quantity for him. “If you ask me about the weaknesses of teams like Sri Lanka, India or Pakistan, I can readily provide the answer as I have observed them a lot as a coach of the Pakistan team, but the Netherlands will be tough to measure. The conditions will be different in the Netherlands and our batsmen are not used to seaming conditions as we mostly play in the flat Sharjah and Sevens wickets. So it could be low scoring matches and our pacers will have to play a crucial role,” said Javed.

“There is no better preparation than real match practice in the middle. The heat has been tough here but the boys have worked hard and all are much fitter than before. Being fit will make them sharper in the middle too,” said Javed, who staged regular practice matches at the Sharjah Stadium.

UAE squad: Khurram Khan (captain), Mohammad Tauqir (vice-captain), Ahmad Raza, Amjad Javed, Amjad Ali, Rohan Mustafa, Saqib Ali, Vikrant Shetty, Haroon Iftikhar, Arfan Haider, Manjula Asanka Guruge, Shaiman Anwar, Asadullah Shareef and Mohammad Naveed Saleem. Officials: Mohammad Sadiq (Manager), Aaqib Javed (Coach), C.Sudhaker (Physio).