Rohan Mustafa says it would be a “pretty special feeling” as captain if he can help the UAE reach the 2019 World Cup Qualifiers.
The UAE open their World Cricket League Division Two campaign against Kenya on Thursday, knowing if they can finish in the top two of the six-team tournament, they will advance to next month’s main World Cup qualifying campaign.
Two-time World T20 champions West Indies and new Test nations Ireland and Afghanistan are just three of the sides that will be competing for the two spots in Zimbabwe.
Mustafa insists it would be a remarkable feat if the UAE can still be in the mix for qualification for the 2019 showpiece event in England and Wales.
“Yes of course it would be a pretty special feeling,” said the 29-year-old all-rounder. “To be honest we are all thinking of wanting to qualify for the 2019 World Cup but we must do well in these matches in Namibia.
“We will treat each game at a time as we don’t want to look too far ahead. But if we can claim one of the two spots, it won’t be just special for me but for the whole team. You can say it’s the most important tournament that we’ll be playing for a long time.”
The UAE have been given a second and final opportunity to reach the Qualifiers after missing out on qualification in Division One.
In that competition, they finished third from bottom in the eight-team event, resulting in relegation to the competition’s second tier. Joining them in this week’s event in Namibia are the hosts, Nepal and Kenya – who were all relegated as well as Oman and Canada who were promoted from Division Three.
#UAE #Cricket putting in the hard yards in the nets ahead of @ICC #World Cricket #League #Division 2 in early February.#Pretoria #SouthAfrica #TimeforWork #Performance @ANIBDXB @tykasports @dougie1brown @ICCAcademy #Namibia #GoUAE pic.twitter.com/mSCROh93qb
— UAE Cricket Official (@EmiratesCricket) January 30, 2018
The UAE will be one of the favourites to claim one of the two berths following their resurgence under Mustafa’s captaincy and head coach Dougie Brown in the last 12 months.
But Mustafa insists they have to deliver when it really matters, saying their previous results are now history.
“Cricket is developing very fast and all the teams that are competing are very balanced,” he said. “I think Namibia and Oman will be especially tough as they have been playing very good cricket for the last couple of months. I believe Namibia will be taking advantage of their home conditions while Oman will be well prepared.”
He added: “Our opening match against Kenya will be the most important game. If we win that it can give us a lot of confidence for the rest of the tournament. If we lose that game it will be very difficult for us. It’s an important match so let’s hope for the best.”
