If the UAE are going to be competitive in the World Cup next year, the following players will need to excel:
Kamran Shahzad, 29, fast bowler
Aaqib Javed reckons the UAE have the fastest bowler in Associate cricket at their disposal. “Today I swear Kamran bowled lightning fast,” the coach said after the win over Namibia on Thursday. “He must have been bowling 140kph-plus, he was bowling brilliant yorkers. It was an international-level spell.”
Nasir Aziz, 27, off-spinner
The UAE have succeeded in New Zealand without their most prolific bowler. Nasir, an off-spinner, was reported for a suspect bowling action at the end of last year. He was required to undergo remedial measures at a biomechanics laboratory in Australia, and delays in the visa process meant he missed the Qualifier.
Amjad Javed, 33, all-rounder
The Fly Emirates player has been key to the UAE’s limited-overs side for years – but even by his standards he has been a revelation on this tour. Nagging medium-pace has brought him 12 wickets at a miserly economy rate, while his strike-rate of 146 with the bat is the best in the competition.
Rohan Mustafa, 25, all-rounder
The jack of all trades in the UAE middle order. Aaqib deems him the man for a crisis with the bat, but it is his versatility with the ball which has caught the eye in New Zealand. Usually an off-spinner, Mustafa turned his hand to seamers before the tour, and bowled a number of overs of both in the competition.
pradley@thenational.ae
