UAE captain: This is the first time we have played 'declaration' cricket

The ICC Intercontinental Cup is very important for the UAE team, it is the first time we have played three-day first-class cricket and we have done well so far. If we win the ICC Intercontinental Cup the morale and confidence of UAE team will be high in the forthcoming ICC Trophy 2005 in Ireland.

Of course it has, as a batsman you learn to stay at the wicket, you learn to leave the ball and play at short-pitched deliveries and as a bowler you learn to bowl a good line and length with longer spells. So, as a batsman you learn to build an innings and as a bowler you learn to attack and contain depending on the situation. Overall I think you get the opportunity to improve your cricketing skills with this longer version of the game.

It was totally a new experience for us playing in sessions. In one-day cricket you get one innings break and you restart, whereas in three-day cricket you have to play session by session. You should be a specialized batsman or bowler to do the job. I also believe in three-day games sometimes you have to bat defensively and sometimes you have to be aggressive according to situation. You need to learn to identify the match situation and play accordingly and it needs mental toughness and physical fitness.

The first time we played declaration cricket was in the ICC Intercontinental Cup match against Nepal in Sharjah in March 2004. We scored 293 for 9 declared in 82.1 overs.

So far we have played two games and we have witnessed three centuries from our batsmen and a couple of 10-wicket hauls from the bowlers as well as some excellent catches and fielding.

We play as a one unit, we have self-belief and every one knows his role in the team.

We are ready to play against any team as one unit and play in the spirit of the game as it should be played. We shall work hard and do our best, our focus will be on performance and not on the outcome.

The ICC Intercontinental Cup is a new tournament for ICC Associate Member countries, and sees the introduction of a first-class competition for 12 countries below Test match level.

Canada, Kenya, Scotland and UAE will do battle for the first ever ICC Intercontinental Cup trophy from 17-23 November.

The four winners of the regional qualifying events will play in semi-finals from 17-19 November with Kenya taking on Scotland at Abu Dhabi while Canada will play UAE at Sharjah. The winners will meet in the final at Sharjah from 21-23 November.

With innovative playing conditions including a points system specifically created for the event, the ICC Intercontinental Cup gives players the chance to develop their skills in the longer version of the game, and assist in the progression to the next level of competition.

The ICC Intercontinental Cup is part of the High Performance arm of the ICC Development Program, launched in 1997 to develop cricket as a global sport.

Since its inception, the ICC Development Program has helped the number of ICC members increase by over 40 in the past seven years. The ICC now has 92 member countries; 10 Full, 27 Associate and 55 Affiliate members.

For scorecards, statistics, rules and reports on the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2004 visit www.icc-intercontinentalcup.com.