Dubai: The UAE are ready for the tricky challenge where patience will be the key to clinch all the points on offer in the four-match series in the ICC Men’s World Cup Cricket League 2 against hosts Scotland and USA in Aberdeen next month.
In Scotland, where the ball will be seaming a bit more than normal in favourable conditions for the bowlers, but UAE coach Robin Singh is confident that the team will be able to handle it well.
“Of course, every condition is different and you have to approach it differently. I myself played a lot in UK where the ball does a lot, so we have to be a little more patient and play better cricket,” said Robin Singh, Director of Cricket, Emirates Cricket Board as the Cricket League 2 is heading towards the home stretch. “We have the team to counter most of the conditions, the combination is pretty good.”
Busy schedule
The UAE have been having a busy schedule since the start of the year and is only expected to get tougher over the next few months with the 50-over World Cup qualifiers in Aberdeen, from August 10 to 15, and followed by the Asia Cup T20 qualifiers before the main event, which is to be held from August 27 to September 11, and then the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia from October 16.
“As I said all these qualifying games are important for us and that’s how we have been preparing. Then we need to back yourselves well going forward,” added Robin Singh. “These four games will put us in a good position, if we could do well and finish off with good results. That will take us closer to the qualifying for the 50-over World Cup.”
The UAE have had mixed results against Scotland and USA when the three teams met in Texas in May-June this year. However, according to Robin Singh the two-month break before the Texas showdown, after a busy schedule at the beginning of the year, had caught the team on the wrong foot. The UAE had played a total of 20 matches in the two-month period from February to March, competing in both Twenty20 and 50-over formats.
Bouncing back from early losses
After losing the first two matches in Texas, the UAE have bounced back to win the other two convincingly.
“I think we outplayed them [Scotland and hosts USA] in the last two games. We should have played the same way from the start, but we didn’t play almost for two and half months in that period, so we were a little rusty, also we didn’t have any cricket during Ramadan. So we have to take note of these things in the future and stay relevant, rather than being on the backfoot and staying rusty,” Robin Singh said.
The UAE are in third spot in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 standings with 26 points from 22 games. Oman top the table with 44 points from 36, while Scotland are in second spot with 34 from 24 matches, USA are in fourth spot with 23 also from 24 games. Hence, it is important for UAE to grab all eight points to move ahead of the close rivals.
