Malaysia named new hosts of the Western Region Under-19 Asia Cup qualifiers

Denzil Pinto 21:22 13/10/2017
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  • Hoping for a seat on the plane: Jonathan Figy

    The UAE will fly to Malaysia for the Under-19 Western Region Asia Cup qualifiers later this month after the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) moved the tournament from Kuwait due to “political instability.”

    The team had been scheduled to travel to Kuwait on Wednesday to take on Afhganistan, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Maldives, Bahrain, Iran, Malaysia and the hosts in the 50-over competition that was meant to run until October 22.

    But just days before their departure, the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) and the governing bodies of the participation nations learned that the ACC has pushed back the tournament and will now take place between October 29 and November 8 and named Malaysia instead as the new hosts.

    The UAE will now travel at the end of the month to Kuala Lumpur. If they do claim one of the two top spots, they will remain in the capital for the Under-19 Asia Cup, which will begin on November 8.

    Andy Russell, national development manager at the ECB, said it was a “frantic” couple of days but is thrilled that the team will be able to have a chance to qualify for the main tournament.

    He insists the last-minute decision of the new venue won’t have any impact on their preparations.

    “It was down to political instability and it pretty much delayed the tournament but then the Asian Cricket Council got involved and changed the location to Malaysia,” he said.

    “I really don’t think it will have any impact on the UAE team whatsoever. We have prepared as if we are going to go to the competition and we are ready.

    “It just gives us a couple of extra of days to get ready for the tournament again. I don’t think it will be detrimental to the team and I think the players will be ready for the tournament.”

    With the new dates, the ECB have a few more days to finalise their squad for the tournament. Preparations for the event began early in the summer in June with a group of shortlisted players attending weekly training sessions at the ICC Academy.

    Jonathan Figy, Ansh Tandon and Aryan Lakra are among the players hoping for a second chance of representing the UAE team when the squad is officially named.

    The side will play a series of warm-up games, including a fixture against an English touring side before they fly and Russell insists there’s enough quality in the squad to qualify for the Asia Cup.

    “What’s been good is that we have got players who are performing well in domestic cricket,” he said. “It really seems that they are at the right level and show they deserve their spots. They have worked hard and had a lot of preparation time. Hopefully they can maximise their opportunity.”

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