Exclusive: We want to win against Bangladesh, says UAE captain Rizwan

The UAE captain CP Rizwan says his team will be aiming for victory in the second and final match of the T20 series against Bangladesh at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday (6 pm UAE Time).

Having lost by seven wickets despite putting up a valiant fight against the Test-playing team in the first game on Sunday, Rizwan says the team's morale remains high as they look to carry the momentum into next month's T20 World Cup in Australia.

"We are taking this match as a stepping stone for the World Cup. We will still try to win the match and take the momentum to the World Cup because we want to make an impact at the World Cup in Australia," Rizwan told the Khaleej Times at the ICC Academy in Dubai on Monday.

Chasing 159 in the first game, the UAE fell short by just seven runs as they were bowled out for 151 in the final over.

But Rizwan says the team's fightback against a hugely-experienced team was a big positive.

"It's a huge boost. And it shows that we are on the right track for the World Cup with our preparations. We wanted to test ourselves against the best," he said.

"We don't get opportunities like that very often. So we are very happy with how we performed in the first match. Obviously we would have wanted a better result, but having said that we are happy with the process and hopefully we can learn from the mistakes and come back stronger in the next match (on Tuesday)."

Rizwan also praised 16-year-old debutant Aayan Afzal Khan (25 off 17 balls, 1/16) for his all-round display in the first game on Sunday.

"I am really happy for him. We always knew that he had that talent. He has the will power to execute the skills on the biggest stage. It's heartening to see that," the UAE captain said.

The UAE, which have been placed in Group B alongside Sri Lanka, Namibia and the Netherlands in the first round of the World Cup (October 16-November 13), will leave for Australia on September 29.

"In Australia, we have two official practice games, one against the West Indies and the other against Scotland. We also have two-three other practice matches before the World Cup," Rizwan said.