After fast start at Asia Cup, UAE cricket target consolidation and ‘great boost’

Paul Radley reports on the UAE's off day at Asia Cup qualifying, where even though they weren't in action, they managed to improve their position a little.

Rohan Mustafa was one of the players to feature for the UAE side that went to the Cricket World Cup last year. Greg Wood / AFP / February 27, 2015

DHAKA // The UAE’s cricketers enjoyed a day off yesterday to bask in the joy of their shock win over Afghanistan at the start of the Asia Cup.

Without playing, or even training, they still managed to end the day on top of the qualifying pool, too.

In the only match on the second day of the opening round, which will decide who qualifies to face India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh next week, the Afghans bounced back with a last-over win against Oman.

As such, all three sides have two points, with the UAE’s superior run-rate accrued in winning by 16 runs on the opening night putting them at the top of the table.

All of which is probably a better position than most observers expected the national team to be in at this point, given their poor form over the past year.

Read more: Rohan Mustafa goes from UAE cricket pauper to prince against Afghanistan

Also see: Amjad Javed juggles long hours and long hauls while being UAE's most important cricketer

The national team face Hong Kong at the Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium in Fatullah, a town in the southern perimeter of the Bangladeshi capital, Sunday evening.

A win would put Amjad Javed’s side in an almost unassailable position. Minds might be starting to wonder to the prospect of facing the biggest stars of Asian cricket, but Rohan Mustafa, the man of the match against Afghanistan, says that is not the case.

Firstly, the players are focused on the job in hand, he reckons. And secondly, they already have recent experience of playing against the likes of India and Pakistan anyway, and on an even bigger stage than the Asia Cup affords.

“You can’t really say exciting, because we played the World Cup against them last year,” said Mustafa, whose match-defining 77 against Afghanistan was the highest by a UAE batsman in Twenty20 internationals to date.

“But it would be very good for us because we have not been performing for the past one year. We were losing against all teams, we lost against Hong Kong.

“If we do win against them, it will be a great boost for our players, as well as cricket in the UAE. If we play on the TV, people will see us and it will be good for our cricket.”

As Mustafa pointed out, the UAE were resoundingly beaten by Sunday’s opponents last time they met. Hong Kong thrashed the national team in all formats when they toured Dubai at the end of 2015.

Back then, the UAE found it particularly tough to dislodge Mark Chapman, the young Hong Kong batsman. Maybe they might think about employing the tactics Oman did while winning their opening match.

Chapman was run out backing up – or “Mankadded” – by the Oman bowler Aamir Kaleem. Simon Cook, the English former county cricketer who is Hong Kong’s coach, deemed it a “cowardly” way to earn a dismissal, but he suggested it was something the players will be wary of in future.

“We will work on their backing up, making sure they are not encroaching too much,” Cook said.

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