UAE Under-19 vice-captain Yodhin Punja believes next week’s scholarship with Sussex County Cricket Club will provide a good platform to enhance his skills ahead of their ACC Premier League tournament this month.
The 16-year-old fast-bowler will travel to England tonight in buoyant mood having been named in the UAE 14-man squad for the 50-over competition in Malaysia which begins on August 28.
Punja along with MCC Zayed Academy team-mate Justin D’Souza will hone their skills for one week with Sussex coaches after the pair were specially selected in April following an impressive domestic season.
The Cambridge High School student insists there will be plenty of positives to gain from his stint in England, which can only help him improve as a player.
“I’m sure this will help me for the UAE Under-19 tournament in Malaysia as well as the long-term because it will be a very tough competition,” he said. “I have nothing to lose and I want to learn as much as I can from their top coaches.
“I will go there with open arms and pick up a lot of new skills and knowledge. As a fast-bowler, I know I need to value my length and stance so my time with Sussex will help me by giving me a bit of exposure and possibly learn some tips.”
For Punja it was certainly a season to remember. After being named in the 30-man preliminary World Cup squad, he took three wickets en route to MCC Zayed Academy’s Under-16 ARCH Cup victory over England’s Eton College, before being awarded the best young cricketer in Abu Dhabi at the annual Shyam Bhatia awards in April. And he insists the UAE U-19 call-up was the icing on the cake.
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He added: “I think I have been rewarded with my good performances this season. I’ve been named vice-captain for this tour so that is pretty special and I had a very good campaign in the Al Ain Water Under-19 inter-emirate tournament which Abu Dhabi won as well.
“I think it’s all paying off for all the hard work that I’ve put in and I want to keep this form going and continue working hard. After playing six or seven months continuous cricket, it really worked out how I wanted it to be.
“Now I want to use the U-19 tournament as a stage to put on some good performances and hopefully get selected in the UAE senior team possibly.”
Despite missing out on the skipper’s role to Waruna Perera, he said it is an honour to be named vice-captain.
“I’m definitely looking forward and it’s something that I enjoyed doing. I captained Abu Dhabi in the Al Ain Water U-19 inter-emirate tournament and I like being one of the leaders in the team because it gives you extra responsibility.
“I will help out Waruna in any way I can and I’m sure we can do well in Malaysia.”
