More than 40 young hopefuls are attending selection trial held at the Sharjah Stadium to pick UAE under-17 team. "There were about ten boys from Al Ain on the second day today," the Emirates Cricket Board Administrator Mazhar Khan said yesterday.

"We are also expecting at least a dozen players from Abu Dhabi to attend the selection trials," he added. The ICC nominated UAE coach and former Pakistan international Naved Anjum is conducting the trials. Veteran Irfan Ansari, who runs Sharjah Cricket Council's cricket Academy and Mansoor Pasha are helping Naved in the selection process.

"Some of the boys in this age group are really impressive," Naved pointed out but added that there was nothing outstanding that he had noticed in the first two days. However, he said: "There are some good boys."

Naved revealed that after the number is pruned to 24, a team will be fielded in the night cricket tournament to be conducted by the Sharjah Council. Naved reckoned that the selection process will continue for at least two weeks.

As many as 12 countries are expected to take part in the second under-17 tournament to be held under the ICC development programme. The tournament will start in Dhaka from February 10. The winners of the first tournament played last year in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and runners up Pakistan once again start favourites.

UAE had done well in the first event, crashing out to Pakistan in the semifinal. "This under-17 boys are the future of UAE,' Mazhar Khan said. He pointed out that four expatriate players are permitted to play in the final eleven in this tournament. Players born before January 1, 1984 can report at the Sharjah Stadium.