Asia Cup 2018 Qualifier: All you need to know and the players to watch

Paul Radley gives you the lowdown on the upcoming tournament in Malaysia where the UAE cricket team are hoping to win to claim a place in the tournament proper to be held in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in September

Sandeep Lamichhane (Nepal): The leg-spinner has been on the radar since he starred at the 2016 Under 19 World Cup aged a mere 15 years old, but this has been a breakthrough year. Fine performances for his national team were embossed by an eye-catching debut in the Indian Premier League for Delhi Daredevils in April. Johan Jooste

Rohan Mustafa (UAE): Mustafa was hurt by being beaten to the player of the tournament award by Lamichhane when both UAE and Nepal advanced from the World Cricket League Division 2 in Namibia in February. A month later, he oversaw the UAE’s finest win to date, when they shocked hosts Zimbabwe in the World Cup Qualifier. Image courtesy of Johan Jooste.

Bilal Khan (Oman): A highly-skilled left-arm seamer who has been at the forefront of Oman’s rise to greater prominence – most notably when they reached the World T20 in 2016 at the UAE’s expense. Their progress might have been checked at the WCL Division 2 in February, but Oman remain a threat. Getty Images

Babar Hayat (Hong Kong): The loss of their one-day international status, after the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe in March, belies the fact Hong Kong have produced a number of talented players of late. Mark Chapman now plays for New Zealand, Anshy Rath is interesting English county sides, while Hayat is their most explosive batsman. AFP

Asia Cup 2018 Qualifier

Host: Malaysia

Teams: UAE, Hong Kong, Nepal, Malaysia, Oman, Singapore

The winning team of the final of the six-team competition will qualify to play at the Asia Cup in the UAE next month.

UAE squad:

Rohan Mustafa (captain), Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Rahul Bhatia, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Naveed, Fahad Nawaz, Ahmed Raza, Rameez Shahzad, Abdul Shakoor, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Usman

Fixtures:

Wed Aug 29 – Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore

Thu Aug 30 - UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman

Sat Sep 1 - UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal

Sun Sep 2 – Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore

Tue Sep 4 - Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong

Thu Sep 6 – Final

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Read more on Asian Cup:

India v Pakistan and other Asia Cup match tickets in UAE to go on sale

Paul Radley: UAE's incentive to win Asia Cup Qualifier is chance to play actual tournament at home

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Asia Cup 2018

Host: UAE

Fixtures

Sat Sep 15 - Bangladesh v Sri Lanka, Dubai

Sun Sep 16 - Pakistan v Qualifier, Dubai

Mon Sep 17 - Sri Lanka v Afghanistan, Abu Dhabi

Tue Sep 18 – India v Qualifier, Dubai

Wed Sep 19 - India v Pakistan, Dubai

Thu Sep 20 - Bangladesh v Afghanistan, Abu Dhabi

Fri Sep 21 - Super Four matches, Dubai and Abu Dhabi

Sun Sep 23 - Super Four matches, Dubai and Abu Dhabi

Tue Sep 25 - Super Four, Dubai

Wed Sep 26 - Super Four, Abu Dhabi

Fri Sep 28 - final, Dubai

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Read more on Asian Cup:

Asia Cup Qualifier: Dougie Brown says UAE have 'set the bar high'

Abdul Shakoor excited to make UAE side after years of waiting in wings

UAE's Rahul Bhatia hoping to follow in footsteps of another bespectacled teenager

UAE's incentive to win cup Qualifier is chance to play actual tournament at home

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Players to watch

Sandeep Lamichhane (Nepal)

The leg-spinner has been on the radar since he starred at the 2016 Under 19 World Cup age just 15, but this has been a breakthrough year. Fine performances for his national team were embossed by an eye-catching debut in the Indian Premier League for Delhi Daredevils in April.

Rohan Mustafa (UAE)

Mustafa was hurt by being beaten to the player of the tournament award by Lamichhane when both UAE and Nepal advanced from the World Cricket League Division 2 in Namibia in February. A month later, he oversaw the UAE’s finest win to date, when they shocked hosts Zimbabwe in the World Cup Qualifier.

Bilal Khan (Oman)

A highly-skilled left-arm seamer who has been at the forefront of Oman’s rise to greater prominence – most notably when they reached the World T20 in 2016 at the UAE’s expense. Their progress might have been checked at the WCL Division 2 in February, but Oman remain a threat.

Babar Hayat (Hong Kong)

The loss of their one-day international status, after the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe in March, belies the fact Hong Kong have produced a number of talented players of late. Mark Chapman now plays for New Zealand, Anshy Rath is interesting English county sides, while Hayat is their most explosive batsman.

ACC Trophy/Asia Cup Qualifier

The Asia Cup might be a prestigious event, but it has seldom been precious about its format. Sometimes it has permitted non-Test sides to play, sometimes not. Mostly, it has been played in the 50-over format – as it will be in Dubai and Abu Dhabi next month – but last time it was Twenty20.

Qualification – on those occasions when it was available – was formerly via the ACC Trophy. The UAE were the most successful side in that event, winning it six times, and thus playing at the Asia Cup in 2004 and 2008. They returned last time, too, when they won a T20 qualifying round in Bangladesh.

1996 (Hosts Malaysia) Winners: Bangladesh. Runners up: UAE

1998 (Nepal) Winners: Bangladesh. Runners up: Malaysia

2000 (UAE) Winners: UAE. Runners up: Hong Kong

2002 (Singapore) Winners: UAE. Runners up: Nepal

2004 (Nepal) Winners: UAE. Runners up: Oman

2006 (Malaysia) Winners: UAE. Runners up: Hong Kong

2008 (Malaysia) Winners: Hong Kong. Runners up: UAE

2010 (Kuwait) Winners: Afghanistan. Runners up: Nepal

2012 (UAE) Nepal and UAE tied the final

… and last time

At the most recent Asia Cup, the first T20 version in 2016, the UAE comfortably made it through a qualifying group containing Afghanistan, Oman and Hong Kong, winning all three matches in Dhaka.