UAE cricket couldn’t be in a better place after a glorious spell for the senior team, who have made history in qualifying for the ICC World T20 Championship as well as next year’s full World Cup.
But now it is the turn of the country’s next generation of cricketers to enjoy the limelight as they become the first Emirates team to mix it with the best at Under-19 level.
And with them enjoying the extra attention that comes their way as hosts, it is a fantastic opportunity for the team to demonstrate their burgeoning talents against the planet’s finest emerging players.
On paper, the UAE (ranked 16th) appear to have little chance of winning this, the 10th edition of a tournament first played in 1988. But you only have to listen to the words of captain Rohit Singh, recently called up to the senior T20 World Cup squad, to know that there is a burning ambition within this group of youngsters.
“My players and I want to see the UAE go up in cricket,” Singh told Sport360° ahead of Friday’s opener against England in Abu Dhabi.
“We know that if we perform well, then some of us can get selected into the senior team and hopefully the future will be bright for us. “We are not just here to participate. We are here to win.
“We will take it one match at a time. On our day we can go the full distance and beat any team.
“If we give our very best for every match then for me there’s little chance we can lose.” Since making his debut for the Under-19s in 2010, Singh has risen to become an important player in the team, playing in the Asia Cup and the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Elite Cup.
Now, the mechanical engineering student is adamant he will lead from the front on the big stage. “I want to give my best,” said Singh. “I feel I have to score runs in each and every match, because if I do that then I’m sure my team will do well.”
This is not the first time the UAE have played tournaments on home soil. Singh’s side faced England and Pakistan in a tri-series tournament in December and the Asia Cup shortly after. And he feels his team can learn lessons from those experiences.
“We made a few mistakes and we are now trying to rectify those mistakes in the nets,” said the skipper, whose side has undertaken intensive training sessions at the ICC Academy in Dubai in preparation for this tournament.
“Those two tournaments were a good learning curve for us and we are ready to show everyone what we can do.”
The hosts can certainly draw confidence from their thrilling victory over England in that tri-series tournament when the two sides clash again in Abu Dhabi.
At the end of last year, Singh’s side successfully chased 251 with three balls to spare and Moaaz Qazi (also selected for the World T20 squad) hitting 40 off of 34 balls to clinch victory.
Singh admits that win comes as a major boost to the group, while he feels if they can exploit the local conditions then they can get off to a good start.
“England will not be taking us lightly of course,” said the captain, who scored 70 runs in that group stage win over the English back in December.
“Moaaz performed well that day and it was a good all-round performance from my players.
“We know these conditions better than them. We will play positive cricket and to our strengths.”
Singh’s team also face New Zealand (February 16, in Sharjah) and then Sri Lanka in Dubai two days later. He insists the Sri Lankans pose the biggest threat in their qualifying group because of the similar playing conditions between the UAE and Asia.
“Sri Lanka should be the toughest because they are an Asian team and it will suit them better here than England and New Zealand,” Singh added.
