More than a year after his last international appearance, Krishna Karate is excited to be back in the national set-up and insists he never lost hope of playing for the UAE.
The all-rounder has been named in the 14-man squad for next month’s tour to Scotland, returning to side after the six-wicket defeat to West Indies in the World Cup in March, 2015.
Lost of form and a shoulder injury sustained during a domestic game for Fly Emirates two months after the showpiece event denied him the chance of adding to his 32 caps.
But the 31-year-old rediscovered his form this term scoring two centuries and four fifties for Emirates and his efforts did not go unnoticed.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been in the UAE squad but this is something I’ve been waiting for,” Karate said. “I’ve been longing for this comeback and I’m really happy to be back. I just want to go out there and do well.”
In his absence, the UAE struggled for the rest of the year, having failed to qualify for the 2016 World Twenty20 as well as losing to Hong Kong.
The team improved since January with victories over Scotland and Ireland before testing themselves against the likes of India and Pakistan in the Asia Cup, after beating Afghanistan, Oman and Hong Kong for the lone berth.
While Karate was pleased to see his team-mates excel in the Asia Cup, he admits it was difficult to watch the games on television.
“It was quite frustrating to be honest,” he said. “After playing in the World Cup which is the biggest tournament in cricket and then sitting out for a long time was really annoying. But I always had hope of playing for the UAE again. I made some bowling and batting changes and improved on my fitness so that I was in the best shape in the domestic games.”
