Sharjah: The UAE will play a One Day International (ODI) series against Ireland and Scotland at the ICC Academy in Dubai. The series commences on Thursday with UAE, led by Rohan Mustafa, taking on Ireland in the first game of the series.
The UAE’s second game against Ireland is scheduled for January 13 and it will be all 50-over contests with games commencing at 9.30am. Their matches against Scotland are scheduled for January 21 and 23.
The squad has been picked based on the form of the players in domestic cricket.
Mustafa has shown the way with consistent form. Mohammad Boota, who hit an unbeaten 174 for Noor Al Yemen in the Shijana Cricket Cup and also cracked 57 runs off just 40 balls for Alubond Tigers in the first match of Junoon Cup Season in Ajman, has been picked.
UAE team chief selector Waleed Bukhatir, announcing the team, said: “We are very pleased to welcome Ireland and Scotland to Dubai for this ODI series and we look forward to an exceptional display of quality, competitive cricket over the next two weeks. We are especially delighted, and encouraged, that a full member (in Ireland) will be joining us for this series”
The UAE are also gearing up for a busy two months with ICC World Cricket League scheduled to begin soon. Bukhatir said that this series will also help the team get ready for the upcoming challenges.
“Our senior men are entering a very busy two-months in their playing calendar, which commences with this ODI series, followed, almost immediately, by a very integral match in ICC’s World Cricket League (WCL) Division 2 in Namibia (at the beginning of February),” he said. “Aside from posting victory, our expectations are that these upcoming ODI games (against Ireland and Scotland) will provide a solid platform for the players to further integrate their fitness and skills work into their playing styles as we move toward our WCL (Division 2) campaign.”
UAE team: Rohan Mustafa (captain), Ashfaq Ahmad, Ghulam Shabbir, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammad Boota, Mohammad Usman, Adnan Mufti, Shaiman Anwar, Ahmad Raza, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmad and Mohammad Naveed.
