The cricketers of the UAE may never get another chance like the one they have tonight (2am UAE time) in their first match of the 2015 cricket World Cup.
Certainly their opportunities will be reduced until the ICC sees sense and realises that cutting the competition to 10 teams next time out will only serve to cripple the sport.
Forty-four years after its first edition and there will be less teams than when it started. Not a recipe for growth. The sport should be ashamed of itself.
There is only one way to prove the folly of that contraction. Perform, prove they belong and show they are there to fight. Only the players can do that and they must show they are worth their place at this competition.
We know they are talented, that they have worked hard and that the sacrifices they have made as amateurs puts them in a special category to most other players at the World Cup.
But all that will count for nought if they do not prove their merit on the field, starting against Zimbabwe in Nelson.
Here are a few suggestions for the UAE players to take on board – or not – as they begin their campaign in New Zealand and Australia.
Believe
It is all well and good setting the bowling machine to bouncer-mode and thinking you are ready to face the world’s fastest and nastiest.
For the past year, the UAE’s batsmen have had the machine pelting down deliveries at 150kph, or had the coaches fizzing balls down with a dog-thrower from 18 yards away, in readiness for facing Dale Steyn and co.
But Steyn does not just bowl bouncers. He bowls toe-crushing yorkers, too, and balls that nip back sharply and 135kph slower-balls.
It is a daunting prospect for anyone. The players have done the hard work, though, and should believe in their abilities to cope. Enjoy the challenge.
Trust
Trust each other and trust that all that could have been done, has been done.
With a team of specialist coaches keeping watch, the players have not been able to cut corners. All those kilometres run, the abs crunched and the improvements made in the YoYo test scores, it is all money in the bank.
All those catches held, the bruised palms, the aching quads. It is all about muscle memory. So if Virat Kohli rifles one in your direction at a sold-out Waca Ground, trust your hands to know what they are supposed to do and clasp that catch.
So what if AB de Villiers or Chris Gayle are stood at the other end, looking all flash, and imposing, and tough? The block-hole is still in the same place. Hit it.
Keep calm
The UAE’s players will have fire – amid the butterflies – in the belly, but having ice on the mind will be vital given the high stakes.
Just because more people are watching than normal is no reason to deviate from what usually works best.
The UAE have been one of the canniest sides from beyond the Test sphere for years. It is part of the reason they have been able to compete with better-resourced nations such as Ireland, Afghanistan and the Netherlands.
Rotate the strike. Squeeze the opposing batsmen in the same way you do against Nepal, Scotland or Papua New Guinea. Put the bad balls away – simple.
Inspire
Everyone has heroes. Shaiman Anwar, the UAE batsman, idolised Rahul Dravid when he was growing up. He tried to base his game on the Indian batting titan, though it did not do much good. Rather than brick-wall solid, as Dravid was famed for being, Shaiman is known for being a six-hitter.
This World Cup is the UAE’s chance to inspire and the players have the opportunity to become role models.
Maybe kids will grow up wanting to hit a pull shot like Andri Berenger, or essay an Amjad Ali cover drive, or bowl as fast as Mohammed Naveed, or field like Saqlain Haider.
This is a chance for these men to make a name for themselves.
Take pride
Nobody puts it better than Aaqib Javed, the upbeat coach who has done so much for UAE cricket.
“When we started the campaign, I told them I was watching them as a critic,” said Aaqib, the 1992 winner who is at his eighth World Cup as either a player or coach.
“People are watching you on TV. If they are sitting there watching you, you have to justify their time.
“You must look good. Forget about the winning and losing – you must command the respect of the people who are watching you all over the world. You must feel proud to be part of that World Cup team.”
Hear, hear. Make your country proud, lads.
pradley@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter at our new home at NatSportUAE