With five months to go to cricket’s pinnacle 50-over tournament, the UAE is the first of the four qualifiers to arrive in Australia and New Zealand to hone its skills as part of a tour organised by the ICC’s High Performance Programme (HPP), International Cricket Council reported.
The UAE is preparing for its second ICC Cricket World Cup, having previously appeared in the 1996 edition staged in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and the side will start its six-match tour in Perth before travelling to Darwin.
UAE coach Aqib Javed was a member of the Pakistan side that won the ICC Cricket World Cup when it was last staged in Australia and New Zealand, in 1992,as well as the 1996 squad, and he said the HPP camp will provide vital experience ahead of the ICC’s flagship ODI event.
The UAE will play two one-day matches against the Warriors in Perth before travelling to Darwin, where it will face Papua New Guinea (PNG), the Northern Territory and the Redbacks in four games to complete its two-week tour.