UAE target back-to-back T20 World Cup appearances at Qualifier in Nepal

Finalists in eight-team tournament in Kathmandu will progress to Caribbean and US in 2024

UAE batter Basil Hameed in action. Peter Della Penna / Cricket Scotland

Oct 28, 2023

The UAE will be bidding to make it to successive World Cups for the first time when they play at the T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier in Kathmandu.

The two finalists in the eight-team event will advance to play at the main event in the West Indies and US in June 2024.

Expansion

For the first time, the T20 World Cup will involve 20 teams, 16 of which have already been decided. As hosts, the West Indies and USA took the first two spots.

Aayan Afzal Khan of UAE makes an appeal in the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 match between United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Papua New Guinea (PNG) at the TU International Cricket Stadium, Kathmandu, Nepal on Wednesday, 15th March 2023.

Aayan Khan avenges U19 loss by helping UAE seniors win tri-series title against Nepal

Then the top eight teams in the last 20-over World Cup, in Australia 2022, were guaranteed places.

That is defending champions England, Australia, India, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka.

Bangladesh and Afghanistan qualified as the next two highest-ranked sides before 14 November 2022.

Regional qualifying

The remaining eight places are being decided by regional tournaments. Papua New Guinea advanced from East-Asia Pacific qualifying. Canada were the lone side to progress from the Americas event.

Ireland and Scotland made it from Europe. The two Asia sides will be decided in Kathmandu, with the African qualifier taking place next month.

Players to watch

Dipendra Singh Airee - Nepal: Set a record that might never be broken when he hit the fastest T20I half century in just nine balls against Mongolia in the Asian Games last month. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Groups

The UAE will play their group matches in Mulpani, which is the smaller of two international cricket grounds in Nepal’s capital city.

They will be joined by Kuwait, Bahrain and Hong Kong. Although the national team are the highest-ranked side in their group, they have lost to each of their opponents in T20 cricket in recent times.

In the other group, Nepal and Oman are favourites to make it out of a group that also includes Singapore and Malaysia. Their matches will be played at Tribhuvan University.

UAE squad

Muhammad Waseem (captain), Aayan Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Asif Khan, Basil Hameed, Junaid Siddique, Karthik Meiyappan, Khalid Shah, Nilansh Keswani, Sanchit Sharma, Mohammed Jawadullah, Vriitya Aravind, Zahoor Khan