D’Souza hoping World Cup can inspire next generation of UAE youngsters

Mahak Mannan 10:31 18/02/2014
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  • Learning curve: Dan D'Souza knows the UAE have a way to go before they can compete with the Test nations.

    Dan D’Souza believes that the Under-19 Cricket World Cup has served as a great learning experience for the entire UAE team as they compete against some of the strongest nations in world cricket.

    The U19’s may have lost their opening two games in the tournament but simply being able to participate in the World Cup for the first time has provided a major boost for cricket in the region. It has also handed these amateur cricketers the chance to test themselves against some of the very best young talent from around the world.

    In the past 12 months the youth team has had a hugely hectic schedule, competing in four major tournaments, three of which were held in their own country, including the World Cup. With another requiring a trip to Malaysia it has meant intense training for the aspiring young cricketers.

    Speaking exclusively to Sport360°, exciting young batsman D’Souza explained how hard the entire squad has been working in preparation for the World Cup. “We have been training very heavily for the past six months; our schedule has been at least four to five days of training in a week as we had games and tournaments throughout.

    “First we had the ACC Elite Cup in Malaysia, followed by the Asia Cup and then the Tri Series here in the UAE.”

    This intense schedule would test even the most committed professional, but the fact that D’Souza and the majority of his teammates do this while having other commitments such as school or university, makes it even more impressive.

    But making sacrifices for cricket comes easily to D’Souza who like most young cricketers in the region first started training in the prestigious Zayed Cricket Academy in Abu Dhabi at the age of 12. Joining due to his love for cricket he could never have imagined that he would one day end up representing UAE on the international stage.

    “I never expected to play for the UAE. I just took it as a game really,” explains the 19-year-old. “I started playing at club level and when I was 16 I was invited to the U19 trials in November 2010. Fortunately I did pretty well there and that led to my first call up in 2011.

    “I was very excited when I found out as I was one of the youngest in the squad, even though most of us were only 16. We had a very young team but I was really happy, I’d never expected that I would make it through the trial but somehow I did.”

    Starting at a young age also meant maintaining a balance between sport and school. With even the UAE senior players still holding down full-time jobs while playing for their country, there is a major decision to be made by the young players hoping to carve out a career in the game.

    But for D’Souza it was a easy decision to make as he firmly believes that if you love something then you have to make time for it and give it your all. His hard work paid off as he was rewarded with a cricket scholarship that allowed him to take a year off to concentrate on the game before graduating from school early last year.

    During this time the part-time off-spinner has had plenty of success. He was a member of the squad that played in the Elite Cup in Malaysia last year where the ultimately reached the final. Although they lost to Afghanistan, D’Souza was crowned Player of the Tournament for his impressive form throughout the series, scoring 299 runs and picking up a total of nine wickets.

    Having excelled in Malaysia, D’Souza was viewed as one of the players to look out for at the World Cup on home soil. Despite having lost their opening two games,  he still feels there have been positive for the whole team.

    “It has been a pretty good experience considering the magnitude of the tournament. It has been amazing and so have all the teams and players, it is a great feeling being part of it,” explained D’Souza.

    “Then again it is both good and a little disappointing because we haven’t done as well as we wanted to but it’s a big learning experience for all of us. We now know where we need to improve and we are obviously working on that and it will hopefully get us some results.”

    D’Souza explained how handling difficult situations is something that needs to be worked on both on a personal and team level. “We need to watch other teams and see how they work on a daily basis and in training as well. As a team it is about gelling together and handling difficult situations.”

    D’Souza was also full of praise for the UAE senior squad who recently secured qualification for the 2015 ICC World Cup. It was only the second time in the country’s history that they had achieved this feat and the young batsman admitted that they were role-models for the youth team.

    “It was excitement more than anything else when we found out that they qualified,” said D’Souza. “You know at the back of your mind that you have the possibility of making it there, but apart from that just in general being a cricket fan it was great to watch their efforts.

    “It is a big boost for us because you know if the senior team does well then you obviously want to match up to that. They provide us with inspiration and being seniors they are like our role models which is definitely a motivating factor.”

    The senior team’s qualification and the U-19 world Cup has lifted UAE’s profile on the international stage and D’Souza believes that cricket in the region has been flourishing as a result.

    “Over the last six months cricket in the UAE has grown a lot. Results wise as well we are doing a lot better, improving in all aspects. Everything has helped a lot on grassroots level so you can definitely see the growth of cricket in the country.”

    While the UAE may have failed to reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup, they put in a spirited performance in defeat to New Zealand after being outclassed by a strong England side in their first match. They will be hoping to impress in their final group game against Sri Lanka but D’Souza feels as though the winners of the tournament may end up coming from a different group.

    “Obviously you would back India and Pakistan. India clearly because they are defending champions and have got a pretty good team but Pakistan are equal contenders because the conditions here are very similar to back in Pakistan. Plus they have played the Asia cup and Tri Series here so they are very familiar with the venues in the UAE.

    “My other favorite would be South Africa, I think they have a very good chance to win the tournament with the squad they have.”

    The UAE host Sri Lanka on Tuesday in their final game of the group stages where D’Souza will be hoping to have one more chance to impress. But however the team perform, he can rest safe in the knowledge that cricket is flourishing in the Gulf Nation and that another crop of young players may soon be idolising him. 

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