Meet the UAE team competing in the Cricket World Cup

Krishnachandran Karate: A Keralite who has emerged as a key all-rounder, especially in the absence of Mohammed Shahzad, and the possessor of one of the coolest names in cricket. If he makes the starting XI, he might find himself being called upon in the business overs at the end of the innings with both the bat and the ball. Not bad, considering just a few months ago he was sent to a psychologist by his coach because he lacked self-belief. Pawan Singh / The National

Khurram Khan (vice-captain): An appearance at the World Cup is a fitting finale to one of the greatest international careers by a cricketer outside the Test nations. The best player to have worn the grey of the UAE national team, he scored a tournament-record 581 runs at last year’s World Cup qualifier. The fact the Emirates Airline employee was relieved of the captaincy a month before the tournament may have been a surprise, but it is unlikely to hinder his output. Satish Kumar / The National

Andri Berenger: The other half of a dynamic opening partnership, alongside Amjad Ali. A newcomer to the side midway through last season, he has quickly become one of the first names on the team sheet. He has an attacking outlook with the bat, and he is rare among the UAE players in that he is a strong back-foot player. He is also in a minority as an outstanding fielder. Pawan Singh / The National

Swapnil Patil: The Mumbai-born wicket-keeper is a mainstay of the batting line-up. Even if Saqlain Haider takes the gloves, as is likely, Swapnil should still play as a batsman. He moved to Dubai after landing a job with Yogi Group and going to support his cousin at an interview. He was a star of the staff cricket team and was capped by the UAE as soon as he was eligible, four years later. Chris Young/ The National

Saqlain Haider: Good reviews from Rod Marsh, the former Australia wicketkeeper, and others went a long way to cementing the gloveman’s place in the World Cup squad. Haider, a banking officer and part-time student, played for Australia on a day’s loan last year while Brad Haddin had a rest in the series against Pakistan. Pawan Singh / The National

Amjad Javed: Dubai born and raised, Javed has been a fixture in the limited-overs side for years. The Dubai International Airport cargo loader has a T20 century to his name in UAE colours. He was one of the best performers, with both bat and ball, during the qualifying event. Probably the biggest hitter in the country, but his swing bowling may be more vital to the cause in New Zealand. Pawan Singh / The National

Shaiman Anwar: The pocket powerhouse has been a pillar of the batting line-up for years, but the past 12 months have been worryingly lean for him. He may have been lucky to beat the reliable Saqib Ali to a place in the final squad. He made a string of single-figure scores in a recent series against Pakistan A, and on tour to Australia last year. The fact he scored a ton in the qualifying competition in New Zealand last year might have counted in his favour with the selectors. Pawan Singh / The National

Amjad Ali: The wristy, left-handed opener is one of the most watchable players going when on song, particularly when the ball is pitched up to him. The United Bank Limited batsman struck an unbeaten century when the UAE beat Pakistan A in Dubai last year, and he was also central to the ODI series win over Afghanistan. Pawan Singh / The National

Nasir Aziz: Two years ago, the mystery spinner was regarded as the leader of the UAE bowling attack. Two factors mean he now is less than a certain starter. First, he is not allowed to bowl his doosra, after biomechanical testing last year showed his elbow extended past the legal 15 degrees when he does. Second, Tauqir was named captain. If there is space for only one front-line spinner, it will have to be the captain. Mal Fairclough / AFP

Rohan Mustafa: Crept into the final 15 after an eventful 12 months. He was a key figure in qualification, notably for the fact he swapped from bowling spin to seam with good effect. Then he had his employment visa cancelled after an argument with his employers and was sent back to Pakistan. At that point his prospects seemed bleak, but the Emirates Cricket Board helped smooth his path back to residency here. Even then, he might not have made the squad had Mohammed Shahzad not broken his thumb. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National

Manjula Guruge: When the UAE face India on the world’s fastest pitch, in Perth next week, Guruge will have happy memories. The canny left-arm seamer, who regularly takes a public bus from his home in Abu Dhabi to get to training and matches in Dubai and Sharjah, took six wickets in the opening match when the UAE toured Perth last year. Antonie Robertson / The National

Fahad Al Hashmi: He could count himself lucky to have made the squad, in front of some very deserving candidates, but he did show well in the recent series against Afghanistan after a lengthy spell out of the side. The Emirati seam-bowler took four wickets in two games against the Afghans, and at a fair economy rate, too. Not bad, given he had not played for the national team for four years. Satish Kumar / The National

Mohammed Naveed: Picked out by Aaqib Javed as one of the players who could catch the eye of the watching millions at the World Cup. Amazing, considering his humble beginnings in the game. He came to the UAE to visit friends in Fujairah, and the only cricket he played was in the streets with a tape-ball. Then he took the bus from the northern emirate to UAE trials in Sharjah, and coach Aaqib took him under his wing. He adapted quickly to playing with a hard, leather ball and is now the attack leader, the fastest bowler in the country. And he can bat, too. Pawan Singh / The National

Kamran Shazad: A powerful fast bowler with a slingy action who is highly valued by coach Aaqib Javed, who claims Kamran is the fastest bowler from outside the Test nations. He is capable of touching speeds of 145kph, according to the coach, and his yorkers could prove valuable in stemming the runs in the death overs. Pawan Singh / The National

Krishnachandran Karate: A Keralite who has emerged as a key all-rounder, especially in the absence of Mohammed Shahzad, and the possessor of one of the coolest names in cricket. If he makes the starting XI, he might find himself being called upon in the business overs at the end of the innings with both the bat and the ball. Not bad, considering just a few months ago he was sent to a psychologist by his coach because he lacked self-belief. Pawan Singh / The National

Khurram Khan (vice-captain): An appearance at the World Cup is a fitting finale to one of the greatest international careers by a cricketer outside the Test nations. The best player to have worn the grey of the UAE national team, he scored a tournament-record 581 runs at last year’s World Cup qualifier. The fact the Emirates Airline employee was relieved of the captaincy a month before the tournament may have been a surprise, but it is unlikely to hinder his output. Satish Kumar / The National

Andri Berenger: The other half of a dynamic opening partnership, alongside Amjad Ali. A newcomer to the side midway through last season, he has quickly become one of the first names on the team sheet. He has an attacking outlook with the bat, and he is rare among the UAE players in that he is a strong back-foot player. He is also in a minority as an outstanding fielder. Pawan Singh / The National

Swapnil Patil: The Mumbai-born wicket-keeper is a mainstay of the batting line-up. Even if Saqlain Haider takes the gloves, as is likely, Swapnil should still play as a batsman. He moved to Dubai after landing a job with Yogi Group and going to support his cousin at an interview. He was a star of the staff cricket team and was capped by the UAE as soon as he was eligible, four years later. Chris Young/ The National

Saqlain Haider: Good reviews from Rod Marsh, the former Australia wicketkeeper, and others went a long way to cementing the gloveman’s place in the World Cup squad. Haider, a banking officer and part-time student, played for Australia on a day’s loan last year while Brad Haddin had a rest in the series against Pakistan. Pawan Singh / The National

Amjad Javed: Dubai born and raised, Javed has been a fixture in the limited-overs side for years. The Dubai International Airport cargo loader has a T20 century to his name in UAE colours. He was one of the best performers, with both bat and ball, during the qualifying event. Probably the biggest hitter in the country, but his swing bowling may be more vital to the cause in New Zealand. Pawan Singh / The National

Shaiman Anwar: The pocket powerhouse has been a pillar of the batting line-up for years, but the past 12 months have been worryingly lean for him. He may have been lucky to beat the reliable Saqib Ali to a place in the final squad. He made a string of single-figure scores in a recent series against Pakistan A, and on tour to Australia last year. The fact he scored a ton in the qualifying competition in New Zealand last year might have counted in his favour with the selectors. Pawan Singh / The National

Amjad Ali: The wristy, left-handed opener is one of the most watchable players going when on song, particularly when the ball is pitched up to him. The United Bank Limited batsman struck an unbeaten century when the UAE beat Pakistan A in Dubai last year, and he was also central to the ODI series win over Afghanistan. Pawan Singh / The National

Nasir Aziz: Two years ago, the mystery spinner was regarded as the leader of the UAE bowling attack. Two factors mean he now is less than a certain starter. First, he is not allowed to bowl his doosra, after biomechanical testing last year showed his elbow extended past the legal 15 degrees when he does. Second, Tauqir was named captain. If there is space for only one front-line spinner, it will have to be the captain. Mal Fairclough / AFP

Rohan Mustafa: Crept into the final 15 after an eventful 12 months. He was a key figure in qualification, notably for the fact he swapped from bowling spin to seam with good effect. Then he had his employment visa cancelled after an argument with his employers and was sent back to Pakistan. At that point his prospects seemed bleak, but the Emirates Cricket Board helped smooth his path back to residency here. Even then, he might not have made the squad had Mohammed Shahzad not broken his thumb. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National

Manjula Guruge: When the UAE face India on the world’s fastest pitch, in Perth next week, Guruge will have happy memories. The canny left-arm seamer, who regularly takes a public bus from his home in Abu Dhabi to get to training and matches in Dubai and Sharjah, took six wickets in the opening match when the UAE toured Perth last year. Antonie Robertson / The National

Fahad Al Hashmi: He could count himself lucky to have made the squad, in front of some very deserving candidates, but he did show well in the recent series against Afghanistan after a lengthy spell out of the side. The Emirati seam-bowler took four wickets in two games against the Afghans, and at a fair economy rate, too. Not bad, given he had not played for the national team for four years. Satish Kumar / The National

Mohammed Naveed: Picked out by Aaqib Javed as one of the players who could catch the eye of the watching millions at the World Cup. Amazing, considering his humble beginnings in the game. He came to the UAE to visit friends in Fujairah, and the only cricket he played was in the streets with a tape-ball. Then he took the bus from the northern emirate to UAE trials in Sharjah, and coach Aaqib took him under his wing. He adapted quickly to playing with a hard, leather ball and is now the attack leader, the fastest bowler in the country. And he can bat, too. Pawan Singh / The National

Kamran Shazad: A powerful fast bowler with a slingy action who is highly valued by coach Aaqib Javed, who claims Kamran is the fastest bowler from outside the Test nations. He is capable of touching speeds of 145kph, according to the coach, and his yorkers could prove valuable in stemming the runs in the death overs. Pawan Singh / The National

Krishnachandran Karate: A Keralite who has emerged as a key all-rounder, especially in the absence of Mohammed Shahzad, and the possessor of one of the coolest names in cricket. If he makes the starting XI, he might find himself being called upon in the business overs at the end of the innings with both the bat and the ball. Not bad, considering just a few months ago he was sent to a psychologist by his coach because he lacked self-belief. Pawan Singh / The National

Meet the UAE team competing in the Cricket World Cup

ASIAN RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP 2024