UAE urge ICC to ensure more high-level matches for cricket’s associate nations

The UAE challenged the International Cricket Council to ensure more top-flight matches for associate nations after narrowly losing to Zimbabwe in their World Cup clash Thursday.

The UAE, pictured celebrating the wicket of Sikandar Raza, were only narrowly beaten by a vastly more experienced Zimbabwe side. Hagen Hopkins / Getty

NELSON, NEW ZEALAND // Mohammed Tauqir, the UAE captain, said the national team need to be given more opportunities to play the leading nations if cricket in the country is going to improve.

The 43-year-old spinner became the oldest captain to lead a side in the World Cup in the four-wicket defeat to Zimbabwe at the Saxton Oval.

He was the pick of the bowlers in a bold display by the national team, who proved a fair match for a side who regularly get to test themselves against the sport’s top tier nations.

Before the start of this game, the UAE had played just four fixtures against Test-playing nations in the 19 years since the national team last played at a World Cup.

Tauqir said that it not good enough if UAE cricket is going to advance.

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“Associate nations need more opportunities to play with the bigger teams if they are to improve their games,” Tauqir said.

“When you play against them, you get good exposure. It is good for the improvement of the game at the Associate level. If we play only at Associate level, we cannot improve.”

Zimbabwe’s final winning margin or four wickets, with 12 balls left, appears comfortable superficially, but they were in trouble at 167 for five chasing 286 to win.

The UAE have targeted two wins at this World Cup, and this represented a good chance, according to the captain.

“It was definitely an opportunity missed,” Tauqir said.

“It was a good game of cricket that went to the wire. We have been looking forward to playing good positive cricket and at the same time we want to enjoy it.”

The UAE’s chances of making it back to the next World Cup are hindered by the fact the tournament is shrinking by four teams in 2019.

Zimbabwe’s Sean Williams, the man of the match for two wickets, a vital diving catch, and a unbeaten half-century, said the UAE had proved they deserve to be here.

“The gap has closed a very, very long way,” Williams said.

“I believe that ever single team that is at this World Cup deserves to be at this World Cup. Any one of the top teams could be beaten by us, beaten by Scotland, or any team.

“If any team on a given day gets all three departments right, they could take the top team right to the end.

“[UAE] are still learning, and so are we. They batted really well. They hit the ball really well down the ground.

“When we were watching footage of them in team meetings, we expected them to play across the line with a lot of slog-sweeps.

“We thought we could wait for them to get themselves out, and that wasn’t the case.”

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