The UAE under-19 team will face their biggest challenge first up in the Asian Cricket Council Elite 2013 tournament, a qualifier for the Under-19 World Cup, on Saturday when they take on Afghanistan in a Group A match at Bayuemas in Malaysia.
Since the UAE have already qualified for the World Cup, which will take place in the UAE in February 2014, the result in Malaysia would not have much impact, but it is vital preparation for the team.
The ACC Elite 2013 tournament started on Friday and Afghanistan hammered Saudi Arabia by 10 wickets in their opening match, while there were also wins for Hong Kong (145 runs over Thailand), Malaysia (by seven wickets over Bahrain) and Nepal (by 84 runs over Kuwait).
UAE captain Rohit Jamwal said: “We know we have already qualified, but we are looking to finish on the top. The boys have really worked hard for this and everybody wants to finish it on a high.
“We have some tough teams in our group but we are really prepared. We have chalked out our own plans and strategies.”
TEAM: Rohit Jamwal (Captain), Saurabhkant Gir (Vice-Captain), Zamin Jaleel, Mohammed Hamid, Dan Savio D Souza, Simon Charles, Jay Pankesh Joshi, Justin Thomas James, Shorey Chopra, Sunair Sajid Khan, Tahir Sultan, Adnan Kamil Khan, Omer Rizwan Mohammed, Pankaj Prakash Samant;
Coach: Aqib Javed
Manager: Shahnawaz Hakim
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