PRETORIA // Colin Wells has been in charge of the national team for barely a month, but that has proved long enough for him to polish up some of the hidden gems of UAE cricket. Wells' charges are perched on the brink of qualifying for the 2011 World Cup. They head into today's opening Super Eight encounter with Namibia at the LC de Villiers Oval riding a wave of form which is the equal of any side in the tournament, bar the unbeaten favourites, Ireland.
Their success has been based around the power of their batting line-up, which was previously so heavily reliant on three batting linchpins, Arshad Ali, Saqib Ali and the captain, Khurram Khan. Amjad Javed and Naeemuddin Aslam have been around the fringes of the national team for years, yet have rarely done justice to their unquestionable talent. However, the duo have been arguably the two best batsmen so far in South Africa. Aslam's form has been so good he has now usurped the previously immovable Amjad Ali from behind the timbers.
The form of Javed, who opens the batting and the bowling, could define the remainder of the UAE's campaign, particularly if he can recapture the magic of his 164 in the pool match against Denmark . "It was an absolutely amazing innings," said Wells, who played 323 list A one-day matches during his professional career. "You won't see a better one-day innings. "If he can play another two like that in the space of the next four or five games, we win the game, as simple as that. He puts the other side out of the game."
Victory against Namibia, who crept through to the Super Eight phase despite winning only one of their pool matches, today will set the UAE up nicely for a meaty clash with Ireland in Johannesburg on Monday, a match between the part-timers and a semi-professional side with a clutch of English county players. "The whole tournament has been tough, but we are improving in every game in most departments," said Wells. "There are just a few more things that we need to pay more attention to.
"I think we can definitely qualify. We can beat anyone on our day. If we play to our potential we can beat anybody." The UAE also play Canada in Krugersdorp on Wednesday and Scotland on Friday. pradley@thenational.ae
