UAE head coach Dougie Brown says preparation camp in South Africa and Namibia is crucial for his team

Denzil Pinto 13:00 28/08/2017
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  • Head coach Dougie Brown believes the UAE’s preparation camp in South Africa and Namibia will be even more crucial considering his players will have to adapt to playing in a high altitude environment.

    The national team will tour Namibia next month for a four-day ICC Intercontinental Cup match beginning September 16 as well as two 50-over games in the World Cricket League on September 21 and 23.

    To ensure they are in the best possible shape for those encounters, the coaching staff and the 14-man squad will fly to Pretoria next Monday for a 12-day camp split between Cricket South Africa High Performance Centre, and then Windhoek in Namibia.

    With Windhoek’s Wanderers Cricket Ground, which will host the three matches, located approximately 5,600 feet above sea level, Brown is aware of the task ahead but is confident it will only aide his team’s preparations.

    “It’s going to be enormous for us,” said the 47-year-old. “A lot of the guys have never played there in Windhoek before and that’s around 6,000 feet above sea level.

    “If you’ve been in that environment for any period of time, then you’ll understand exactly the impact of what they would be doing when you’re doing anything physical.

    “We are going to Pretoria to begin with and that has altitude as well but not as high as Windhoek. Those preparations will be really important, not just from a cricket perspective but form a physiological perspective.

    “It’s getting the guys used to being in an environment they’re not used to but it will be really good. Once we get to Namibia, that’s when the preparation really starts and it’s about winning matches.

    “Everything that we have done so far, is in preparation for that. But when we get to Namibia, that’s when it really starts to begin.”

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