T20 World Cup qualifier: Captains expect it to be a tough tournament

Dubai - The Qualifiers will be played out in Dubai and Abu Dhabi from Oct. 18 to Nov. 2. This is the second instance that the Qualifiers are being held in the UAE after having successfully hosted it in 2013.

As the UAE prepares to host the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Qualifier for the second time, the captains of the seven teams from Group A, expected it to be a hard-fought tournament.
Fourteen teams will battle it out for the six spots on offer for the T20 World Cup to be held in Australia next year. The Qualifiers will be played out in Dubai and Abu Dhabi from October 18 to November 2.
This is the second instance that the Qualifiers are being held in the UAE after having successfully hosted it in 2013.
Ireland, Afghanistan, Nepal, UAE, Netherlands and Hong Kong made the cut for the 2014 edition in Bangladesh. Scotland had missed out by a whisker after finishing seventh and captain Kyle Coetzer said that they still have some unfinished business.
"We are expecting a hard fought tournament," Coetzer said at a pre-tournament meet-up at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
"Every team deserves to be here. There are a lot of powerful teams here and we are expecting a hard fought and challenging tournament. It is vitally important not only for us as Scotland but for every team here," he added.
Meanwhile, Netherlands skipper Pieter Seelaar said there will be a bit of pressure on them since they have termed as one of the favourites.
"Besides everything that has been said about it being a hard fought tournament, I think there is also going to be a lot of pride and passion on show for us," said Seelaar.
"There is going to be a bit of pressure on us because people label us as bit of favourites. But I think there is going to be some upsets throughout the tournament," he added.
Kenya captain Shem Ngoche hoped the tournament will open a new chapter for his country.
"It is going to be a really good tournament. As we all know, there are some very good teams here. For us it will be a very important tournament because all of you know where our cricket is. If we get a chance to qualify, it will be the starting point of a new phase for Kenyan cricket," said Ngoche.
Meanwhile, Namibia captain Merwe Erasmus said: "For Namibia it is an important tournament. We haven't qualified from one of these (tournaments) yet, so it puts us in a nice space since we have nothing to lose."
Papua New Guinea's Assad Vala said: "It is going to be a really important tournament for us and all the teams. We all deserve to be here.Hopefully we can get the job done."
For Singapore, it is a first.
"It is the first time Singapore has reached until this level and we are really looking forward to this tournament. I hope we can do our best in this tournament," said captain Amjad Mahboob.
Bermuda captain Dion Stvell said: "We are here to showcase our talent and we are looking to move Bermuda cricket forward."
james@khaleejtimes.com