UAE U-19 team leave for ACC Elite tournament

The UAE under-19 team led by Rohit Singh Jamwal left for Malaysia to participate in the Asian Cricket Council Elite 2013 tournament, a qualifier for the Under-19 World Cup, from May 3 to 11.

Since UAE have already qualified to the World Cup they are hosts of the event in February 2014, the result in Malaysia would not have much impact.

But skipper Jamwal was not taking anything lightly. “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,” Rohit said.

If UAE happened to emerge as the winners then the other finalist will progress to the World Cup.

A total of 10 teams will be participating and UAE are placed in Group A wit Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Thailand and Saudi Arabia being the other teams. Group B has Nepal, Qatar, Bahrain Malaysia and Kuwait.

“We have some tough teams but we are really prepared. We have chalked out our own plans and strategies,” Rohit said.

It’s a tough first match for UAE as they open their campaign against Afghanistan on May 4. They next play Hong Kong the following day before playing Thailand on May 7. They end their group stage when they take on Saudi Arabia on May 8.

The top two teams from each group make it to the semifinals on May 10 with the final being held on May 11.

The boys have worked hard under the watchful eyes of UAE coach Aaqib Javed and also played several practice matches.

“We had some great training sessions. He is a very experienced coach and it really makes a huge difference,” Rohit added.

Mazhar Khan, Administrator of Emirates Cricket Board who saw off the team at the airport said: "It's a big privilege for us to host the Under-19 World Cup. But our boys will travel to Malaysia with a target to finish winners. They are determined to do well there and we wish them all the luck.”
 
Team: Rohit Singh Jamwal (Captain), Saurabhkant Sunilkant 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, Physio: Sudhakar and Assistant coach: Shah Hussain.

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