UAE skipper Ahmed Raza said the players gained a lot from their time with world-class players in the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Three players named in the squad for Ireland series had trained with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Mumbai Indians. Raza and young wrist-spinner Karthik Meiyappan trained with RCB, while seamer Zahoor Khan spent time with the Mumbai squad. “[The IPL] was massive.
The experience you get over there training with the likes of Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and bowling to them [is great]. We felt like we’d gained a lot when we left the IPL. It’s hard to put into words, but you start feeling different, and you’re different in your approach as well. I hope that whatever we learned in that period, we can showcase in our performances in this series,” ESPNcricinfo quoted Raza as saying.
The UAE will host the Irish team for the four-match ODI series, starting Friday. All matches will be played in Abu Dhabi.
“We want to win all the games and win the series. We’re playing in our own backyard and looking at the squad, there’s a good mix of youth and experience. We have to keep an eye on the 2023 World Cup down the line. Looking at the four or five youngsters in the squad, they all played in the Under-19 World Cup and put in performances,” Raza said.
UAE squad for Ireland series: Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri, Rohan Mustafa, Muhammad Usman, Muhammad Boota, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmad, Zawar Farid, CP Rizwaan, Aryan Lakra, Karthik Meiyappan, Alishan Sharafu, Basil Hameed, Kashif Daud, Adithya Shetty, Vriitya Aravind.
