T20 World Cup: We can surprise a lot of teams, says UAE captain Rizwan

Having enjoyed a decent game time in Australian conditions against local teams, the UAE are bracing for their first big test in Melbourne on Monday.

With less than a week to go for the start of the ICC T20 World Cup (October 16-November 13) Down Under, the UAE get a chance to prove that they can trade punches with the big boys when they take on the mercurial West Indies team in their first official warm-up game.

The UAE squad, which arrived in Australia on September 30, had more than 10 days to acclimatise to the conditions Down Under and fine-tune their game

But now it's Nicolas Pooran's West Indies team featuring some explosive T20 talents that will challenge the UAE in their first official warm-up game at the Junction Oval in Melbourne on Monday.

Skipper CP Rizwan, though, said his team was ready to test their skills against any opponent before they begin their World Cup campaign against the Netherlands on October 16.

"Our preparations are going really well. We are in Melbourne at the moment, preparing for the match against the West Indies. We have got a lot of good practice matches against some local teams here," Rizwan said on Sunday.

"The boys are really in a good frame of mind. All of the batsmen have got a decent hit and the bowlers are also shaping up really well. So I am really confident. If we play to our potential, we can surprise a lot of teams."

The West Indies will go into the warm-up game on Monday, having suffered two back-to-back defeats against Australia in the recent T20 series.

But the team featuring Pooran, Rovman Powell, Sheldon Cottrell, Jason Holder, Evin Lewis, Kyle Mayers, Obed Mccoy and Odean Smith — all big names in the world of franchise cricket — will be looking to hit their top gear against the UAE on Monday.

And it will give the UAE an ideal opportunity to gauge their level as they head into the big tournament.

The UAE have been placed in Group A alongside Asian champions Sri Lanka, Netherlands and Namibia in the first round of the T20 World Cup.

The top two sides in the group will earn a chance to play against the big teams like India, Pakistan and South Africa in Group 2 at the Super 12 stage.

The UAE need two wins from three matches in the first round to set up dream clashes with Test-playing giants in the Super 12.

"If we can do that, it will be a huge boost to play against the top nations like India and Pakistan in the Super 12.The boys are very excited," Rizwan had told the Khaleej Times after the team's home series defeat to Bangladesh last month.

"We have played Namibia and the Netherlands previously and we emerged victorious against them in the past. I think those experiences will help us. We will try to execute our skills and play to our strength," the middle-order batsman, who scored a brilliant half-century against Bangladesh last month, said.

"We will not be worried about our opponents, obviously we will have plans against them, but we will focus on our skills and try to execute our skills better.

"If we can do that we are not inferior to anyone. It's just a matter of having trust in our abilities and executing the skills on the given day."

Official warm-up matches

UAE Time

October 10

UAE vs West Indies (4 am)

Junction Oval, Melbourne

October 13

UAE vs Scotland (12 pm)

Melbourne Cricket Ground

UAE's T20 World Cup matches

First round (Group A)

October 16

UAE vs Netherlands (12 pm)

Geelong

October 18

UAE vs Sri Lanka (12 pm)

Geelong

October 20

UAE vs Namibia (12 pm)

Geelong

UAE's World Cup squad:

CP Rizwan (captain), Vriitya Aravind (wicketkeeper), Chirag Suri, Muhammad Waseem, Basil Hameed, Aryan Lakra, Zawar Farid, Kashif Daud, Karthik Meiyappan, Ahmed Raza, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Sabir Ali, Alishan Sharafu, Aayan Khan.

Head coach: Robin Singh