DUBAI // Khurram Khan is hoping a mixture of experience and youth can see his UAE side prosper in the inaugural Intercontinental Shield final when their four-day battle with Namibia gets under way at the ICC [International Cricket Council] Global Cricket Academy at Dubai Sports City today.
The Emirates, together with Namibia, Bermuda and Uganda, made up the four teams competing in the Intercontinental Shield, a second-tier competition created especially for teams who do not play Test cricket and did not qualify to contest the ICC Intercontinental Cup.
Following a round-robin format, in which a young national side defeated Namibia by four wickets in Windhoek, the Namibia capital, Khan will now lead out a more mature team in today's final.
"Namibia is a very good team," said the UAE captain yesterday.
"We have obviously played a few times now and there is no doubting they are a very good team.
"It has always been a tight, difficult game - we won two and they won two - so that is why we have opted to pick a more mature team than last time when we went with youngsters.
"I think four-day cricket needs experience, so we picked some more mature guys who have been doing very well in the domestic level. It's a very good, well-balanced team and we have been working hard, so hopefully we will do well in [today's] game."
Khan added, however, that he is confident some of his younger players can produce match-winning performances and help the UAE establish itself as a talented side worthy of a place in the elite league that is the Intercontinental Cup.
"Shaiman [Anwar] is a new inclusion in our team and did very well," Khan said.
"He scored 135 against Scotland in a two-day game practice game, where he batted very well. There are others too - the bowlers had very good practice.
"Everybody is in good rhythm, now it's just a matter of them all applying themselves when they step inside the ring.
"We do not normally play the longer version of cricket here in the UAE - I think the most we usually play is 50 overs and the Twenty20.
"So coming here in a four-day game and proving to the ICC that we can do well is very important. We are hoping that we can use this as a stepping stone to go forward to the next level."
Meanwhile, Craig Williams, the captain of Namibia, dismissed any notion that the UAE's earlier league victory would affect the outcome of this weekend's game and said he has every confidence that the Africans will finish Sunday with the shield as well as a US$25,000 (Dh91,800) financial reward.
"I do think we will be favourites," he said. "We are a better side than the UAE, we deserve to be playing in the Intercontinental Cup and if we stay level headed and play to the best of our abilities this weekend then we will do well.
"I will not take anything away from the UAE, but I back my side 110 per cent.
"They may have home advantage, but we have good players and we are ready to take them on."
