After a six-month hiatus, the UAE will return their focus to attempting to qualify for the 2023 Cricket World Cup this week.
They will play 10 one-day internationals over the next month, starting against Namibia in Dubai on Thursday.
What is it?
Cricket World Cup League 2 is part of a long and meandering qualifying process for the main event, which is due to take place in India in October and November.
There are seven teams involved. The top three sides advance directly to the World Cup Qualifier, where the final two places at the 10-team World Cup will be decided.
That final event will be played in Zimbabwe in June and July, and will also involve 10 teams.
The remaining four sides in League 2 still have a second shot at making it to the Qualifier.
They will enter a repechage playoff in Namibia at the end of March, along with Canada and Jersey from the third-tier Challenge League.
The top two sides in the playoff in Namibia will progress to the Qualifier.
What has been decided so far?
Unsurprisingly, given its huge timespan – the competition started in August 2019 – League 2 has had plenty of fluctuations.
Scotland have been confirmed as the champions, despite losing to Nepal in their last match on Tuesday.
Oman – who completed their 36 matches eight months ago – are second, with both the top two sure of a place in the final Qualifier in Zimbabwe.
It means Namibia, UAE and Nepal are still vying for third place, with United States and PNG confirmed as being in the qualifier playoff.
How are UAE doing?
The national team last played in League 2 in August, when they lost three matches and had one abandoned in a tri-series in Scotland.
That was a portentous tour for UAE. In response to it, Ahmed Raza – who had a 66 per cent win record as captain – was replaced by CP Rizwan.
Rizwan had a baptism by fire, with UAE losing his first match in charge to Kuwait, and eventually failing to make it to the Asia Cup.
However, he did oversee UAE’s first win at a T20 World Cup, and, just last weekend, a thrashing over Afghanistan.
Those results were all in the T20 format. The only 50-over matches that have been played on his watch were in a 2-1 series loss against Nepal in Kathmandu – which might be prescient, given what is coming up.
Who are their opposition?
The three teams vying for that third qualifier spot are all masters of their own fate to a lesser or greater extent, given that they have matches against each other coming up.
UAE have 10 ODIs scheduled in the space of 21 across two different countries.
They start this week with two matches against Namibia, which were postponed from 2021 when a tri-series also involving Oman was aborted because of the discovery of the omicron variant of Covid-19 in southern Africa.
That will be followed by back-to-back tri-series against Nepal and PNG. The first will be staged in Dubai, even though it is a nominal home series for PNG, before the same sides decamp to Kathmandu for the final series of the competition.
Who is the form team?
Unquestionably Nepal. Namibia had seemed well set to take third place in the table, but have stalled of late, losing all four matches on tour in Kathmandu this month.
Nepal, meanwhile, are a side transformed since the arrival of new coach Monty Desai, who was formerly the batting consultant to UAE.
They won all four of their matches in impressive fashion against Namibia and Scotland this month, giving them renewed hope of taking the third qualifying place.
Namibia’s stutter has breathed hope into UAE’s campaign, too. They know they have their destiny in their own hands again.
The national team start their final push 10 points – so five wins – behind Namibia, and one ahead of Nepal, who have played two more games than UAE.
UAE fixtures
Thursday, February 23, Dubai - UAE v Namibia
Saturday, February 25, Dubai - UAE v Namibia
Tuesday, February 28, Dubai - UAE v PNG
Thursday, March 2, Dubai - UAE v Nepal
Sunday, March 5, Dubai – UAE v PNG
Saturday, March 6, Dubai – UAE v Nepal
Friday, March 10, Kathmandu – UAE v PNG
Sunday, March 12, Kathmandu - Nepal v UAE
Wednesday, March 15, Kathmandu - PNG v UAE
Thursday, March 16, Kathmandu – Nepal v UAE
Where to watch matches?
All matches will be streamed live and for free on icc.tv
UAE squad to face Namibia
CP Rizwan (captain), Muhammad Waseem, Vriitya Aravind, Alishan Sharafu, Chirag Suri, Rohan Mustafa, Rahul Bhatia, Hazrat Bilal, Aayan Khan, Karthik Meiyappan, Junaid Siddique, Zahoor Khan, Sabir Ali, and Asif Khan