15 Days to World Cup 2015

United Arab Emirates : Team Analysis

So here we start our World Cup 2015Countdown. Everyday we will be analyzing one team. And today it's United Arab Emirates.

No one in the UAE would have put his/her money on Mohammad Tauqir leading the national cricket team in the 2015 World Cup. People were pretty sure that Khurram Khan will be asked to do that job. In fact, Khan was the captain of the team in the last international match they played in November, 2014. So, what exactly did Tauqir do to become the captain?

Nothing much. Tauqir was chosen because he is an Emirati. The cricket board thought it was justified to have an Emirati at the helm, especially with someone as experienced as Tauqir in the squad. The chairman of the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) selection committee, Mr. Mohammad Redha Abdulla Abbas explained the choice in an amusing manner. He said, “Khurram is our most valuable player and like Sachin Tendulkar who has played under Sourav Ganguly, he too will do the same and play the same role.”

Tauqir, a 43 year old veteran, is an employee of the National Bank of Abu Dhabi. Over the last two decades, he has been playing cricket for UAE. He is an off-break bowler and a handy lower-middle order batsman. The highlight of his international career so far has been the half-century he scored against India on his ODI debut in 2004.

Tauqir, despite being a veteran, will no doubt add value to the team. He has a bunch of promising cricketers in his team, who are up for the challenge down under. Khurram obviously is the star attraction. He has been in excellent form over the last 18 months or so. The pace bowling department too has gelled well in recent times. Fahad Alhashmi, who works with Dubai Police, is going to lead the attack. Mohammed Naveed and Kamran Shahzad will assist him. The fast bowling department looks promising. Naveed consistently bowls 140 kph and might well spring in a few surprises for the established batsmen of the leading cricketing nations. 

The team is made up of two Emiratis, two Sri Lankans, nine Pakistanis and two Indians. According to the people who follow UAE’s cricket diligently, this is a good squad which can indeed cause one or two upsets. Tauqir and his men have set their target- couple of wins in this World cup. 

Here’s a little analysis on UAE's squad.

Squad: Mohammed Tauqir (captain), Khurram Khan (vice-captain), Amjad Ali, Amjad Javed, Andri Berenger, Fahad Alhashmi, Manjula Guruge, Kamran Shahzad, Krishna Chandran, Mohammad Naveed, Nasir Aziz, Swapnil Patil (wk), Rohan Mustafa, Saqlain Haider, Shaiman Anwar

Beginning with the batting and bowling potential, which indicates the percentage contribution of each player in the team.




Key Batsmen : Khurram Khan, Amjad Ali, Swapnil Patil

Key Bowlers : Kamran Shahzad, Khurram Khan, Nasir Aziz

Big Hitters : Amjad Javed, Mohammad Naveed, Shaiman Anwar

Most Experienced Player : Khurram Khan

Darkhorse : Nasir Aziz

Team Average Age : 32 years

Oldest Player : Khurram Khan and Mohammad Tauqir (both aged 43 years and born on the same day)

Youngest Player : Andri Berenger (23 years)

UAE will start the campaign with two warm up games against Australia and Afghanistan on February 11th and 13th in Melbourne respectively. Their first match in the World Cup is against Zimbabwe on February 19th.

Fixtures for United Arab Emirates in the World Cup 2015 :
 

Date & Time	Match Details	Coverage
Thu Feb 19 22:00 GMT (prev day) 11:00 local | 03:30 IST	8th Match, Pool B - United Arab Emirates v Zimbabwe Saxton Oval, Nelson
Web Feb 25 (D/N) 03:30 GMT | 13:30 local 09:00 IST	16th Match, Pool B - Ireland v United Arab Emirates Brisbane Cricket Ground, Woolloongabba, Brisbane
Sat Feb 28 (D/N) 06:30 GMT | 14:30 local 12:00 IST	21st Match, Pool B - India v United Arab Emirates Western Australia Cricket Association Ground, Perth
Wed Mar 4 (D/N) 01:00 GMT | 14:00 local 06:30 IST	25th Match, Pool B - Pakistan v United Arab Emirates McLean Park, Napier
Thu Mar 12 (D/N) 01:00 GMT | 14:00 local 06:30 IST	36th Match, Pool B - South Africa v United Arab Emirates Westpac Stadium, Wellington
Sun Mar 15 22:00 GMT (prev day) 11:00 local | 03:30 IST	41st Match, Pool B - United Arab Emirates v West Indies McLean Park, Napier