Cricket World Cup Team Preview: UAE hope to surprise the big boys
Published:
Number of previous appearances: 1
Last appearance: 1996
Best finish: Group Stage
2014 ODI record: Played 7, Won 4, Lost 3
Pool: B
First 3 fixtures: Zimbabwe, Ireland, India
Coach: Aaqib Javed
Squad: Shahzad, Khurram Khan, Krishna Karate, Manjula Guruge, Mohammed Tauqir (capt), Muhammad Naveed, Nasir Aziz, Roshan Mustafa, Saqlain Haider, Shaiman Anwar, Swapnil Patil.
Top runscorer: Khurram Khan. In November, at the ripe age of 43, Khan became the oldest one-day international centurion when he scored an unbeaten 132 against Afghanistan. That wasn’t a flash in the pan though and the number four led all batsman in the 2014 World Cup qualifier tournament, scoring 581 in eight innings. He’s also scored 50 or more in each of his last six List A games.
Pre-tournament storyline: Khan had been the UAE skipper since the summer of 2008, but was ousted by the Emirates Cricket Board in January in favour of Tauqir, who is the same age as his predecessor, but has been far less certain of his place in the side. The thinking behind the decision? To promote an Emirati native to a position of leadership for the World Cup so as to promote the sport to a wider audience back home.
Tournament odds: 1000/1
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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