Cricket World Cup Qualifier: The Emirates Cricket announced UAE's squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023. The tournament which will feature ten teams locking horns, is set to be played from June 18 onwards in Zimbabwe. UAE have named a 15-men squad for the qualifier event.
Muhammad Waseem will lead the team, which also features experienced hands like Asif Khan, Zahoor Khan and Rohan Mustafa. Notably, Asif rose to attention when he smoked the fourth-fastest ODI ton in March. He hit a 41-ball hundred in a game against Nepal.
Notably, UAE earned the ticket for the qualifiers after finishing second in the Cricket World Cup Qualifier Play-Offs in Namibia, earlier this year. Asif was the leading run-scorer in the event as he amassed 296 runs in 5 matches. Medium pacer Zahoor was UAE's cornerstone with the ball, scalping 10 wickets in 5 games.
UAE are drawn in Group B alongside Ireland, Oman, Sri Lanka and Scotland. Waseem's team will begin their campaign against Sri Lanka on June 19 at Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo.
UAE Squad: Muhammad Waseem (c), Ethan D'Souza, Ali Naseer, Vriitya Aravind, Rameez Shahzad, Muhammad Jawadullah, Asif Khan, Rohan Mustafa, Aayan Khan, Junaid Siddique, Zahoor Khan, Sanchit Sharma, Aryansh Sharma, Karthik Meiyappan, Basil Hameed.