A group of promising youngsters have three chances to impress coach Aaqib Javed this week and seal a place in the UAE Under-19 squad for next month’s ACC Premier League.
Javed will oversee the final training camp at the ICC Academy, Dubai, which takes place today, Tuesday and Thursday evening.
A total of 25 players are in contention but only 14 will travel to Malaysia in August for the six-team event in Kuala Lumpur.
The 25 were chosen having shined in the 50-over Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) Under-19 Al Ain tournament in April, beating competition from 100 promising youngsters across Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman and Abu Dhabi.
This week will be the third time that hopefuls will gather, having taken part in a training camp in June as well as competing for ECB Greens in the ACE-Pan Global Ramadan Trophy in Abu Dhabi.
It was part of a move by the ECB, who were keen to give an opportunity for them to test themselves against experienced players in preparation of the fierce competition they would face in Malaysia.
In that tournament, every squad member had an opportunity to showcase their talent and the team put on a decent show, winning two matches against top domestic teams.
While performances in the capital will be considered, players have a last opportunity to impress before ECB selectors name their final squad early next week with the 14 undergoing training sessions until their departure to Kuala Lumpur.
With a talented squad to choose from, Javed said he is looking at a number of attributes in a player.
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“At any age, especially at a younger age, what you see in a youngster is to see if they’ve got a good potential to raise to the top of the international team,” said Javed, who is also the senior team coach.
“I always encourage people to do more and change their approach for those who have the talent of reaching the top level. For instance, fast-bowlers need to have a lot of pace because over the length of time, they can learn how to swing and control the ball.
“In batting, they may have a current technique, but they may also need to focus on their defensive technique because once you enhance that defensive technique, then you can build on your different form of shots. But as a youngster they need to have a good solid technique and speed for a fast-bowler.
“As a youngster they need to have a good solid technique” – Javed
Overall, they’re a good bunch of youngsters and I’m looking forward to seeing them train.”
One player who is eyeing a spot in the final 14 is Ethan Holmes. The 18-year-old scored 42 runs in ECB Greens’ two-wicket victory over ADNOC HQ at Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Stadium and the South African is keen to build on that success beginning today.
“It was a good experience to play against the older guys and it was good that we gave some good performances but the job isn’t over,” he said. “The coaches are not seeing how hard I can hit the ball and how big my six is. That’s not the point.
“They will want to see how players can play all the way through. I will need to show them that I have a wide game and that I have everything in my game.”
