The UAE will be one of four teams fighting for a chance to participate against the likes of India and Pakistan in the 2016 Asia Cup.
For the first time, and in a bid to retain its relevance, the Asia Cup will be a Twenty20 tournament. The four-team qualifier, which will include Oman, Afghanistan and Hong Kong, will also be a Twenty20 event.
According to a report on ESPNcricinfo, the qualifier will be held in November in the UAE. But an Asian Cricket Council (ACC) official told The National neither the dates or the venue were confirmed yet; he did acknowledge, however, that the UAE was under consideration as a venue given the existence of a world-class cricket infrastructure.
The ACC had announced in April that there would be a qualifier for Associates for the 2016 and 2018 Asia Cup (which will also be a Twenty20 event) but had not given details of who would contest. The ACC official said the top four countries according to the ICC’s Twenty20 rankings had qualified for the qualifier. Oman’s recent and surprising surge has seen them edge out Nepal, an Associate success story over the last few years.
November makes sense logistically as Hong Kong will be in the country for a four-day match against the UAE in the Intercontinental Cup. Afghanistan will also be here, for a game against Papua New Guinea.
The venue of the Asia Cup is not yet decided and though the dates are tentatively scheduled for the first week of March. The World T20, to be played in India and for which Afghanistan and Oman have qualified, follows soon after.
Chances for Associate nations to take part in the Asia Cup have, historically, been limited. Afghanistan were invited to play in the main tournament in 2014, where they defeated Bangladesh. A decision on venues, both for the qualifier and the main tournament, is expected this month.
For the UAE, the qualifier will be a chance to play on the big stage one again, having missed out on qualification for the World Twenty20. The national side did play in the 2015 World Cup and the group stages of the 2014 World Twenty20. If they do qualify, it will be their third appearance at the Asia Cup, after 2004 and 2008.
