The six teams competing in the inaugural Abu Dhabi T20 are eager to make a big impact when the tournament begins on Thursday.
Yorkshire Vikings (England), Boost Defenders (Afghanistan), Hobart Hurricanes (Australia), PSL’s Lahore Qalandars, South Africa’s Multiply Titans and New Zealand’s Auckland Aces make up the line-up as they vie for glory at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.
The tournament will see some big names in action. Ex-South Africa all-rounder Albie Morkel (Titans), compatriot Colin Ingram (Boost Defenders) and New Zealand batsmen Colin Munro and Martin Guptill (Auckland Aces) are among the stars featuring in the three-day tournament.
Captains of the competing teams insist the tournament is crucial for their preparations for the season ahead.
“We just started our pre-season at home and started the four-day competition so we have not had much time to back our T20 skills. But hopefully we will make those change quite quickly,” said Titans skipper Morkel, who has played 50 T20Is for the Proteas.
“It’s a short tournament so we don’t have much time for recovery and we have to tick all the boxes from the start.”
He added: “It’s a great opportunity for domestic players to see where they are. It is very important for world cricket as a lot of guys can put their hands up in the leagues.”
Son of the Vikings, left-handed batsman Gary Ballance has certainly made a name for himself on the county circuit. His winning approach and discipline makes him one of the most formidable players to watch out for at the #AbuDhabiT20. @YorkshireCCC pic.twitter.com/xB0gqjvxje
— Abu Dhabi Cricket (@AbuDhabiCricket) September 30, 2018
Ingram joined up with his new Boost Defenders’ team-mates this week with the skipper claiming he is a big fan of Afghanistan cricket.
“I have been fortunate to play with Rashid Khan at Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash and to hear their stories and the challenges is amazing. Watching them on TV, I like the way they go about their business,” said the 33-year-old batsman.
“For us, it’s an opportunity for a number of local and international guys to put their hands up for the tournaments. Personally, I want to get as many runs and wickets as possible.”
While many teams are gearing up for the new season, Yorkshire arrive in the UAE having finished their English campaign. But skipper Steven Patterson believes fatigue will not be an issue.
“You can say the full English season should give us a slight advantage in that sense,” said the 35-year-old medium-pacer. “We have played a lot of cricket and ready to go. On the flip side, we have come from a country where it’s four or five degrees and it’s 40 degrees Celsius in the UAE. There are six good teams here and whoever plays well on the day, deserves to win the title.”
Matt Boucher, acting CEO of Abu Dhabi Cricket which is organising the event alongside Abu Dhabi Sports Council, believes with all matches broadcast live on TV, it is a chance to establish the venue on the cricketing map.
“We have taken full control of Abu Dhabi Cricket for over 16 months and the venue is now top class and we are good to run our own event,” he said. “We are going to take feedback from the captains of all these teams. It is an opportunity for us to learn how to be at the centre of world cricket and are looking to improve for 2019.”
FIXTURES AND GROUPS
GROUP A: YORKSHIRE VIKINGS, HOBART HURRICANES, LAHORE QALANDARS
GROUP B: AUCKLAND ACES, BOOST DEFENDERS, MULTIPLY TITANS
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4
16:00, AUCKLAND ACES v BOOST DEFENDERS
20:00, YORKSHIRE VIKINGS v LAHORE QALANDARS
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5
15:00, HOBART HURRICANES v LAHORE QALANDARS
19:00, MULTIPLY TITANS V BOOST DEFENDERS
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6
11:00, YORKSHIRE VIKINGS v HOBART HURRICANES
15:00, MULTIPLY TITANS v AUCKLAND ACES
20:00, FINAL (Group Winners)
