ABU DHABI // The UAE Under 19 team play their first competitive match in more than six months today against their Pakistan counterparts in a tri-series that also includes England.
The UAE will play three matches each against Pakistan and England, which Aaqib Javed, the coach, said marks the third key stage of their preparation for the upcoming U19 Asia Cup from December 27 to January 4, and the U19 World Cup in February, which the UAE is hosting.
The UAE have been training for the last three months, with most of that time spent at the ICC Global Cricket Academy nets in Dubai and playing five games among themselves in Al Dhaid every weekend over the last month.
“We have done a lot of work,” Aaqib said. “The first stage was to prepare them in the nets, the second was to shortlist the squad and play among themselves so that they get to know each other well, and now we go into the third stage by playing other teams.”
Aaqib’s philosophy for the team is to first know his own players and then gauge the opposition, and has told them to be realistic in their ambitions in the coming matches.
“Now is the time to look at our players when they play against other teams,” he said. “We have already discussed our game plan when we play Pakistan and England.
“I have told my players not to get excited because we are playing against Test-playing nations.
“Our objectives in these games are very simple. The first is to bat the 50 overs and try to score around four runs per over. This would provide them the confidence.
“I think we should perform reasonably well. It is a good opportunity to play six games against strong opposition before we go to the Asia Cup.”
The series is hosted by the Pakistan Cricket Board as a reciprocal event for an invitation they received from England in July/August.
The Pakistan board has timed the series so that they go straight into the Asia Cup, where they are drawn against India, Nepal, and the UAE in Group A. The other group consists of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Hong Kong.
Looking forward to today’s game, Pakistan manager Ali Zia said: “Every game has to be played very seriously and I understand there are quite a lot of youngsters in the UAE team. On paper, I believe we would be much, much stronger, but we will take each match like another game of cricket.
“We will try to win all our matches, and if we do, it will be the icing on the cake.”
Pakistan won the U19 World Cup in 2004 and 2006, and Zia said wants the current team to maintain the legacy.
“Pakistan have always produced some very good cricketers at a young age and this team is no exception,” he said.
“We have a few very good cricketers in this team, and obviously, the idea is some of them would go on and represent the country in the senior team.”
Zia named four players from the touring squad to have the potential to play for the senior national team: Sami Aslam, a left-handed opener, Kamran Ghuolam, a batting all-rounder, left-arm spinner Zafar Gohar and fast-bowling prospect Zia ul Haq.
“I feel these boys have the potential,” Zia said. “Some of the [U19 players] don’t make it big, but they do go on to play first-class cricket.
“To the international cricket, a few find it difficult, but if some of these boys keep working hard, they have the potential to make it to the first team.”
apassela@thenational.ae
Follow us on twitter at @SprtNationalUAE
