UAE captain Khurram Khan admits the road ahead is going to get tougher after leading the nation to their first World Cup since 1996.

The qualification capped a remarkable few months for UAE, having reached the World T20 in November and now the 50-over format next year.

Speaking after arriving in Dubai from New Zealand, Khan said: “We would have to spend a lot of time together as a team. “We want to be better athletes and better players. We know we have to work harder. It’s going to be a tough journey for us now and things will definitely not be easy.” 

The 42-year-old was in fine form during his side’s qualifying campaign, finishing the tournament as the highest run-scorer with 581 runs including one century.

The captain said fitness will be a priority for the team. “The commitment is there. We need to have good fitness levels so we can at least take on the top nations and even if we can’t play the top teams every ODI match will help us. Fitness is top of the agenda.

“Before going to New Zealand we spoke about what we needed to do. From Wednesday, we will be working out and practising.

“The coach (Aaqib Javed) is worried about fitness. He has told us to concentrate hard, work hard and give it our best shot,” said Khan, whose team hit the gym after their 41-run loss against Scotland in the qualifying final on Sunday.