Trio's return strengthens UAE squad, says captain Naveed

UAE captain Muhammad Naveed is hoping for a series win against the USA. -KT file

Dubai - All-rounder Rohan Mustafa, middle-order batsman Rameez Shahzad and left-arm spinner Ahmed Raza are back after serving an eight-week suspension

By James Jose

Published: Wed 13 Mar 2019, 7:34 PM

Last updated: Wed 13 Mar 2019, 9:41 PM

UAE cricket captain Muhammad Naveed reckoned that the return of Rohan Mustafa, Rameez Shahzad and Ahmed Raza will add more heft to the squad when they take on USA over two T20 Internationals this weekend.
The three were named in the 14-man squad announced by the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) on Wednesday and Naveed said their comeback will make them even stronger.
"Rameez (Shahzad), Rohan (Mustafa) and (Ahmed) Raza are back for the series against the USA and their return strengthens our side," Naveed told the Khaleej Times.
Mustafa, Shahzad and Raza are eligible to play after serving an eight-week suspension for violation of the ECB's Player's Code of Conduct and use of social media following the incident during the Emerging Teams Asia Cup last December.
The trio had missed out on Nepal's tour of the UAE which the hosts went down by identical margins - 2-1 in the One Day Internationals and the T20 Internationals.
And Naveed said that coach Dougie Brown helped them rectify those errors. "We have prepared well for the series against the USA at the ICC Cricket Academy. The boys have put in a lot of hard work. The coach worked on the mistakes that we committed against Nepal and we are much stronger in terms of batting, bowling and fielding. I hope we can go on a win the series," said Naveed.
Naveed also felt that top-order batsman Shaiman Anwar could be their key man during the series. "I just get the feeling that big scores are due from Shaiman," he said.
The two T20Is will be played at the ICC Cricket Academy on Friday and Saturday. The UAE and a UAE XI are then scheduled to play six 50-over matches with the first one at the ICC Cricket Academy and the rest at The Sevens Stadium.
SQUAD: Muhammad Naveed (C), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Rameez Shahzad, Amjad Gul, CP Rizwan, Muhammad Boota, Abdul Shakoor, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Sultan Ahmed, Zahoor Khan, Amir Hayat, Waheed Ahmad. Coach: Dougie Brown.
james@khaleejtimes.com