UAE hit by player withdrawals

Arshad Ali: leading a weakened side © Getty Images

Arshad Ali will lead a below-strength UAE side into their Intercontinental Cup semi-final against Ireland in Namibia in a fortnight's time. UAE, who were runners-up last year after losing to Scotland in the final, have suffered from a half-a-dozen regular players excusing themselves because of work commitmnents.

"This is a prestigious assignment and I will be counting on the fighting spirits of the boys. If they play to their potential, we can make a good impression out there in Namibia," Abdul Razzaque Kazim, the coach and manager of the team, told the Khaleej Times. "This is the best we could pick from the available talent. Many senior players failed to attend the camp. The excuse was that they have some work-related commitments.

"If you talk about the mindset of some of our senior players, I can only say that they don't show up at the preparatory camps either because they think the tournament they are participating is not important or they feel ashamed of their performances in the previous events. I don't want to go further into the debate, all I can say that we will try and give our best show. God willing, we will return home with something to cheer about."

The squad contains only one UAE-born player - young fast bowler Fahad Alhashmi - alongside 10 expat Pakistanis, one Indian and one Sri Lankan.

UAE squad Arshad Ali (capt), Ali Asad Abbas, Kashif Ahmed, Rizwan Ahmed, Imran Ali, Marlon Fernando, Fahad Alhashmi, Usman Saleem, Rameez Shahzad, Vairamoorthy Sockalingam, Mohammed Taskeen, Fahad Usman, Sameer Zia.