Shukri to lead under-19 UAE cricket team

Dubai: Alawi Shukri, the country's most promising Emirati player, will lead the 14-member UAE under-19 cricket team at the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Under-19 Elite Cup to be held in Kuwait from April 20.

"It is a great honour to lead the national under-19 team. The selectors have picked a very balanced team capable of winning the tournament," Shukri told Gulf News.

The UAE is in Group B along with Afghanistan, Qatar, Oman and Bhutan.

"The strongest team among our opponents is Afghanistan, but we have a team that can challenge them. We are made up of good allrounders and five very good batsmen," said Shukri, who has been scoring heavily in domestic cricket.

"Most of our players are playing in the Bukhatir League and are in good form. We also played a practice match at Dubai Sports City's new stadium against the strong Fly Emirates team. Although we lost the match, it was good experience and practice for our players," he said.

Mazhar Khan, the Administrator of the Emirates Cricket Board, is also confident that the team will do well in Kuwait.

"Over the years, the standard of the teams in Asia has improved and hence it will be a big challenge for our team. We have a fairly balanced team to meet the challenge," he said.

The UAE will open their campaign with a match against Qatar on April 22. Farrukh Siddiqui of the Dubai Cricket Council has been appointed as the manager of the team, while Colin Wells is the coach.