- City Fajr Shuruq Duhr Asr Magrib Isha
- Dubai 04:32 05:49 12:21 15:48 18:47 20:04
The UAE weekend amateurs are the least experienced side in the competition where even Ireland, while also not full members of the International Cricket Council, have most of their players hardened by exposure to English county cricket. (SUPPLIED)
The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) squad fancy their chances against Kenya when they take on the higher-ranked side in the International Cricket Council’s first-class tournament, the ICC Intercontinental Cup, at Nairobi on July 28.
The four-day match will be preceded by two one-day internationals on Monday and Tuesday as part of the tournament programme for 2011-13.
The tournament, featuring eight teams, will provide a great opportunity to the ECB squad to improve upon their international rankings.
Among the eight teams, are the top six Associate and Affiliate teams with ODI status from 2009-2012 being automatically included.
They are: Afghanistan, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Netherlands and Scotland.
Namibia and the ECB were selected by the ICC Development Committee to participate in the event.
Over the next 28 months, the ECB will be playing one four-day match and two one-day international against each side.
Led by Khurram Khan, the ECB squad believes it has the firepower and the experience to make their presence felt in the tournament.
“The first blood is always important and we are confident of starting the tournament on a winning note,” said Mohamed Lokhandwala, manager of the ECB team.
“All the boys have done very well on the domestic circuit which is quite competitive. And if they play to their potential, I am sure we can make an early mark. Most of the players in the squad have the experience of competing at this level of the game and hence they know what to expect,” he added.
Skipper Khurram Khan was equally upbeat about his team’s chances against Kenya.
“We have really worked hard under the guidance of our coach Mohammed Kabir and are looking forward to the challenge ahead.
“We have a great respect for the Kenyan team and the boys know they will have to be at top of their game if they aim to change the script. The good thing is that the boys are determined to do well and that’ what all counts in the end.”
Though there is no dearth of match-winners in the team, it will be interesting to see how Shaimon Anwar who has scored tones of runs on the domestic circuit replicates his success with the bat on the global stage.
“Cricket is a team game, and we have to click as a unit. We will be taking one step at a time and will meet the challenge as it unfolds,” said coach Kabir.
“The tournament is pretty long and a lot will depend on how the boys adapt to different conditions.”
ECB squad: Khurram Khan (captain), Mohamed Tauqir (vice-captain), Arshad Ali, Saqib Ali, Abdul Rehman, Ahmed Raza, Amjad Javed, Shadeep Silva, Amjad Ali, Shoaib Sarwar, Shaimon Anwar, Nasir Aziz, Bakhtiyar Palekar, Irfan Sajjad.
Officials: Mohamed Lokhandwala (manager), Mohammed Kabir (coach), C. Sudhakar (physio).
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