UAE keen to begin T20 World Cup campaign on a high
Waseem-led team will take on New Zealand in Chennai on Tuesday
Dubai: The UAE will be aiming to recreate a famous victory over New Zealand when the two sides meet in a Group D match of the T20 World Cup at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday. The UAE last defeated New Zealand in 2003, in a historic encounter in Dubai.
“Our strategy is to keep it simple,” UAE captain Muhammad Waseem said on Monday. “We have beaten them before in the UAE, but this time it’s a different venue, a different tournament, and a different game.
“We know they are a good and experienced team, but we have prepared well and come up with a new plan,” he added.
The UAE have enjoyed some encouraging results in recent months, including a bilateral T20I series win over Bangladesh and a competitive showing against Pakistan in the Asia Cup. However, their World Cup preparations were dented by losses in both warm-up matches against Nepal and Italy.
Despite those setbacks, Waseem insisted the team is ready for the challenge. “Preparations have been going well. The boys have been training really hard with a different mindset,” he said. “We’ve learnt a lot, especially in batting and fielding. It’s a slightly bigger ground here, so converting doubles into singles, batting deeper, and finishing well in the last few overs will be important.”
Waseem also highlighted the value of the UAE players’ recent participation in the ILT20 league. “ILT20 helped us a lot. Playing alongside big names like Kieron Pollard and Nicholas Pooran and sharing the dressing room with international stars was a privilege and a big boost for our players,” he said.
The UAE skipper believes the presence of head coach Lalchand Rajput, a former India international, could also prove crucial. “Our coach knows Indian conditions very well and has shared his inputs. We are confident that will help us when we play in Chennai.”
