#360View: Asia Cup qualification provides salvation for UAE

Denzil Pinto 12:01 23/02/2016
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  • UAE's defeat of Oman means they will now play in the Asia Cup main draw.

    What a difference a week can make in international cricket as the UAE’s new-look Twenty20 team showed there is every reason to believe they can become a force among the Associate nations.

    With just two wins to their name and having undergone a mass overhaul of their playing staff following last July’s miserable World T20 qualifying campaign, few would have backed them to clinch a place at the Asia Cup.

    But that is exactly what happened as Aaqib Javed’s team shook off their poor form to stun heavyweights Ireland in a warm-up game last Tuesday before winning all three qualifiers to extend their stay in Bangladesh and earn the right to take on the continent’s big guns.

    Their surge included the prized scalp of Afghanistan and also the hugely-encouraging sight of them winning under pressure and when they needed to the most, against Oman yesterday.

    The UAE have made great strides under Javed – the former Pakistan World Cup-winning fast bowler – since he took charge in 2012.

    He has set and achieved targets, leading the team to the 2014 World Twenty20 and last year’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

    But this latest feat must feel extra satisfying on the back of spells in the doldrums and given the radical transformation of his squad.

    Prior to their Ireland victory, the UAE had only wins over Oman and Scotland to show for 12 months of cricket in the T20 format since the World Cup. Javed has had to do without influential former skipper Khurram Khan, who laid down his bat last June. His absence had a big effect as his replacement as captain, Mohammad Tauqir, endured a torrid World T20 qualifying campaign, the team registering just one win in their five games.

    With an average age of 32 in that squad – just five of the 15 were aged under 30 – Javed decided to ring the changes.

    With Saqib Ali and Tauqir announcing their retirements, the likes of Muhammad Usman, Moh-ammad Kaleem and leg-spinner Zaheer Maqsood were drafted in.

    Consequently, the 15-man squad selected for the Asia Cup included only six players who had travelled Down Under for last year’s World Cup.

    Meanwhile, the Emirates Cricket Board’s decision to appoint Khurram and Tauqir to the newly-formed selection committee has proved a masterstroke.

    These are two players who know the domestic game better than anyone. Tasked with identifying talent for the future, they knew first-hand which players were ready to step up to international cricket.

    And the newcomers have certainly made an impact, while also helping to revitalise those players who remained.

    For the fresh faces this was a big stage given precious little previous exposure to international cricket.

    They handled the pressure and Javed and his team have restored their self-belief.

    With central contracts set to come into place, the UAE can build on the positivity this success
    creates.

    They still have a lot of ground to make-up in the 50-over and four-day formats but success in the T20s is bound to help in the overall development of cricket in the country.

    And for the moment let’s just congratulate Javed and his players for an achievement which seemed so far away just seven days ago.

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