With six months to go until the UAE’s return to World Cup cricket, competition is hotting up for places on the plane to Australia and New Zealand.
Late arrivals to the national team setup might be treated with suspicion by those who have done all the hard work in getting the team qualified.
Playing international cricket in a country where the sport remains an amateur pursuit is rarely glamorous and neither is it easy.
Those who do make the trip to the World Cup will have their pleasure at playing on the sport’s biggest stage offset by the fact they will have to beg their employers for six weeks off work.
Most will have to make up the time they miss and a few will have to take it as unpaid leave.
That said, they still get the glory of playing at the World Cup. It is the driving force for all the country’s leading cricketers, so it is no wonder competition for places is fierce.
Saqlain Haider is the new recruit in the UAE squad heading to Australia today for a series of training matches this month.
Having only just become eligible, via the four-year residency rule, his rivals for a spot in the UAE middle order might regard him as a Johnny come lately.
He is too good to ignore, though. The United Bank employee has played three major finals in domestic cricket and was man of the match in each.
They may not be big matches in the World Cup sense but a big match temperament like that will be an asset for a national team who are inexperienced when it comes to limelight.
“I don’t feel pressure, I just play my natural game and don’t think about what game it is,” said the Dubai resident.
“I will do my best to give 100 per cent of my ability. I want to prove myself. I have worked really hard for the past three years as it has been my dream to play at a World Cup for UAE. Inshallah, I can prove myself.”
The 26-year-old batsman said his proudest moment was calling home to tell his parents in Islamabad that he had been selected for his debut tour with the UAE.
“It is thanks to the prayers of my parents that I have been selected for UAE,” said Haider, who is also studying for a business administration degree while working as a personal banking officer.
“From the day I came here, my dream was to represent the UAE. I knew the UAE had qualified for the World Cup, so playing at it would be a huge honour for me.”
Cases like Haider provide a conundrum for the selectors. Whether to reward those players who have done all the legwork for years in helping the team reach this point, or whether to take a chance on a talented newcomer who could be ready-made for international cricket.
It is not a situation Aaqib Javed, the coach, minds being presented with, especially given that he is already succession planning for the UAE’s future beyond the World Cup.
“I think it is good to see people like that qualifying for UAE and I think there will be more good, first-class cricketers qualifying in the next couple of years,” Aaqib said.
“We are targeting the World Cup, then we have two-and-a-half years where we can really work hard for the next qualification.”
Aaqib said Haider would be a fine addition to the side, and not exclusively because of his batting.
When the national team played at the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh earlier this year, they were let down by poor fielding.
But Haider, according to Aaqib, is outstanding in the field. “He is a genuine talent, and very fit,” Aaqib said. “I would say he is the fittest person in the squad, matched with Rohan Mustafa.
“He is a fantastic wicketkeeper, but also one of the best fielders in the outfield.
“That gives us the opportunity to give the keeping role to Swapnil Patil and we can use Saqlain as an effective outfielder.”
pradley@thenational.ae
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