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Javed only wants UAE's top players Down Under

Javed only wants UAE's top players Down Under

Aaqib Javed will ask UAE selectors to allow him to take the strongest available squad when the national team tour Australia and New Zealand in September for their World Cup preparations.

The International Cricket Coun­cil (ICC) yesterday confirmed that Javed’s side will play six one-day matches against state and pro­vincial sides in Australia and New Zealand including a clash against Papua New Guinea in Darwin on September 17.

Their tour is part of the High Performance Programme (HPP), whose primary aim is to help the qualifiers including Ireland, Scot­land and Afghanistan prepare for next year’s showpiece. For his World Twenty20 squad earlier this year in Bangla­desh, Javed had selected former Under-19 players Rohit Singh and Moaaz Qazi, as he aimed to mix youth with experience.

The two players didn’t feature in a campaign where they lost all three games.

Although Javed is refusing to confirm whether he would experi­ment again next month, he wants to ensure the players he chooses next year are prepared for the Group B matches against South Africa, In­dia, Pakistan, West Indies and Ire­land.

Javed, who will select his tour squad by the end of next week, said: “It’s difficult to say the 15 players who are chosen will be the final 15 selected for the World Cup.

“But still, we will try and select players who can play at the World Cup. Otherwise there’s no point in taking people who won’t be part of the World Cup squad.”

The 41-year-old added: “I will be taking 15 players and I will request the selectors that we should be se­lecting players that have a good chance of being in the World Cup squad next year.”

The UAE, who were the last side to qualify for the showpiece event, will be the first team to arrive when they land in Perth on September 7.

With Afghanistan arriving in the same city on September 14, and Ire­land (September 23) and Scotland (September 24) touching down two weeks later, Javed was quick to argue why he wanted his team to be in Australia early.

“If we all go together then we might not be able to use the facilities at the same time as the ICC have to look at the availability, so that’s the reason why we wanted to go early,” he said.

The former Pakistan bowler is sure the tour will be a learning experience.

Javed said: “It gives us the opportunity to go to Australia and New Zealand, see the conditions and get used to the atmosphere. The good thing is we are there four months before the tournament, so once you know about the condi­tions, the pitches, you can make the necessary changes and try to work on those areas which you want to improve.

“The World Cup qualifier in New Zealand in January was the team’s first taste of the local conditions, and this tour provides us with a strong programme of high-level matches and experience across a range of conditions.”

Aaqib Javed will ask UAE selectors to allow him to take the strongest available squad when the national team tour Australia and New Zealand in September for their World Cup preparations.

The International Cricket Coun­cil (ICC) yesterday confirmed that Javed’s side will play six one-day matches against state and pro­vincial sides in Australia and New Zealand including a clash against Papua New Guinea in Darwin on September 17.

Their tour is part of the High Performance Programme (HPP), whose primary aim is to help the qualifiers including Ireland, Scot­land and Afghanistan prepare for next year’s showpiece. For his World Twenty20 squad earlier this year in Bangla­desh, Javed had selected former Under-19 players Rohit Singh and Moaaz Qazi, as he aimed to mix youth with experience.

The two players didn’t feature in a campaign where they lost all three games.

Although Javed is refusing to confirm whether he would experi­ment again next month, he wants to ensure the players he chooses next year are prepared for the Group B matches against South Africa, In­dia, Pakistan, West Indies and Ire­land.

Javed, who will select his tour squad by the end of next week, said: “It’s difficult to say the 15 players who are chosen will be the final 15 selected for the World Cup.

“But still, we will try and select players who can play at the World Cup. Otherwise there’s no point in taking people who won’t be part of the World Cup squad.”

The 41-year-old added: “I will be taking 15 players and I will request the selectors that we should be se­lecting players that have a good chance of being in the World Cup squad next year.”

The UAE, who were the last side to qualify for the showpiece event, will be the first team to arrive when they land in Perth on September 7.

With Afghanistan arriving in the same city on September 14, and Ire­land (September 23) and Scotland (September 24) touching down two weeks later, Javed was quick to argue why he wanted his team to be in Australia early.

“If we all go together then we might not be able to use the facilities at the same time as the ICC have to look at the availability, so that’s the reason why we wanted to go early,” he said.

The former Pakistan bowler is sure the tour will be a learning experience.

Javed said: “It gives us the opportunity to go to Australia and New Zealand, see the conditions and get used to the atmosphere.

"The good thing is we are there four months before the tournament, so once you know about the condi­tions, the pitches, you can make the necessary changes and try to work on those areas which you want to improve.

“The World Cup qualifier in New Zealand in January was the team’s first taste of the local conditions, and this tour provides us with a strong programme of high-level matches and experience across a range of conditions.”


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