The World Twenty20 marks a new chapter for UAE cricket having never qualified for the tournament before, and Aaqib Javed believes his team can rise to the challenge.
The coach derives his confidence from the warm-up performances against Bangladesh and Nepal, and stresses that they can spring a surprise on their debut.
Javed’s side lost narrowly to Bangladesh by four wickets on Wednesday before bowling out Nepal for 95 in their six-wicket win against them on Friday.
“I think the two magnificent shows will give some self-belief for the players,” Javed told Sport360. “We now believe we are a better team and can really perform well as a team and take the match away from our opponents.”
The UAE open their Group B campaign against Netherlands on Monday, before facing Zimbabwe two days later. Ireland (March 21) are the last team for the UAE, who know they must top the group to qualify for the Super 10.
If they do so, they will be placed in Group 1 comprising England, Sri Lanka, South Africa and New Zealand. Javed is happy with his team’s overall balance and feels the under-dogs tag could work in their favour.
The former Pakistan pace bowler said: “Twenty20 is a game where we have big hitters and good spinners. But anything can happen. It’s a game where one ball can change the entire outcome of a match. Two or three good wickets, or a quick knock by a batsman can change the result of the match.
“We can do well in Bangladesh because the conditions are similar to what we face in the UAE and that will suit us. We got a strong batting line-up backed by good bowlers and spin will be crucial.”
And while Javed backed his team to put on a good show, he says the tournament is the start of a long-term programme for UAE. “We just don’t want to compete. We want to do well. We have seen teams hardly progress in the competition like Kenya and Netherlands. We want to learn from the tournament and improve the over-all standard of UAE cricket.
“Our first goal was the qualification, but now we have the full responsibility to make a team that people will appreciate is good enough at the international level.”
Meanwhile, at 42, captain Khurram Khan knows this could be his first and last World Twenty20, and agrees with Javed that UAE has the potential to impress.
Khan said: “Most definitely we can cause some upsets. In T20 matches you cannot write off any team in the format. “Matches can change within a few overs. We have the ability, talent and the potential and we can give a tough fight to any opponent.”
The team played practice matches against Netherlands and Nepal in the UAE before departing for Bangladesh, but due to work commitments, Khan could only play one practice match against the Netherlands.
But he is ready to take on the leadership while playing down talks of being under pressure as captain. “I’ve performed well in every tournament and being captain brings in a lot of responsibility,” said Khan, who finished as the top scorer (581) in the qualifying tournament in New Zealand last month as UAE reached their first 50-over World Cup since 1996.
“I’m always happy to perform for my team and will continue to do so. “When you are playing you have to be as professional, you can’t be fazed with pressure. I don’t feel any pressure when I lead my team out,” he said, having scored 44 against Bangladesh and 15 in the win over Nepal.
While the tournament is the perfect opportunity for UAE to show-case their talent to the world, Khan insists the experience will help them in next year’s World Cup. “Playing here will be a big boost for us. It will give us experience and it doesn’t get any better than playing in a World Cup.”
