World T20 Minnows Guide: UAE

ICC T20 World Ranking: Unranked

The Inside Word

The UAE have announced themselves on the international stage in recent months by qualifying for both the Twenty20 and 50-over ICC World Cups, earning themselves One Day International status in the process.

Lacking the new-ball pace of an Ireland or Zimbabwe, the UAE will rely on control and wily field placements to restrict opposition sides to a manageable total.

The Trivia

– In World War II, Commonwealth forces installed cricket pitches around air bases in Sharjah and those became the country’s first local grounds.

– 42 year old captain, Khurram Khan, also works as a steward for Emirates.

– UAE couch, Aaqib Javed, played 22 Tests and 163 ODIs for Pakistan, opening the bowling in the side’s 1992 World Cup final win.

The Schedule

March 18 v Netherlands

March 20 v Ireland

March 21 vs Zimbabwe

Quick Single: Cooper, Netherlands chase down UAE

Quick Single: Lights out on UAE WT20 campaign

The Road to Bangladesh

The United Arab Emirates qualified fourth in the lead-up, losing to Nepal in the play-off for third place. They also gave Ireland a scare in the group stages, falling five runs short in their chase of the world number nine.

The Squad

Khurram Khan (captain), Ahmed Raza, Amjad Ali, Amjad Javed, Asadullah Shareef, Faizan Asif, Kamran Shahzad, Manjula Guruge, Moaaz Qazi, Rohan Mustafa, Swapnil Patil, Rohit Singh, Shadeep Silva, Shaiman Anwar, Vikrant Shetty

The Key Man

Khurram ‘Special K’ Khan – The oldest man in the World Cup, 42 year-old UAE captain Kahn, finished the qualifying tournament as the ninth leading run-scorer, with an average of 36 across ten matches. His 255 runs also put him 72 ahead of his nearest teammate. His powerful on-side play and gritty determination have drawn comparisons to Aussie great Steve Waugh.

The Wild Card

Nasir Aziz aka ‘Sucked in!’ – The very definition of a wild card, Aziz doesn’t mind giving his off-breaks plenty of air. The Pakistan product went for more than seven an over during qualifying but also led his side with 15 wickets. It will be interesting to see how the spinner goes on the smaller Bangladeshi grounds.

The Prediction

First round exit – Truth be told, the classy top-order bats of Ireland are going to cause everyone in this group problems and, without any real new-ball penetration, it’s unlikely that the UAE will progress past the first round.