*UAE VS WINDIES PREVIEW- 1st ODI*
*THE BUILD UP:*
*PREP FOR WC QUALIFIERS GEAR UP AS WI LOOK TO BRUSH UAE ASIDE:*
Both UAE and Windies, will be competing at the World Cup Qualifiers later this year in order to place their bet and show what they hold for the World Cup to be held in India later. This series, though looking a bit one sided, will be a lovely opportunity for UAE to brush their shoulders with some of the highly talented and recognised players of the Caribbean, headed by coach Darren Sammy who will see this as his first assignment to compete for ultimate glory. He will be looking to start his tenure on a positive note, starting off with an assault over this UAE side. The United Arab Emirates, on the other hand, have somewhat being helped by the ILT20 competition contested in the UAE, that has lowered the gap between local cricket and international cricket. These T20 competitions also give a fabulous opportunity to some of the UAE players to rub shoulders with the greats of Westendies T20 cricket. The fact that captain Muhammad Waseem, a part of the MI Emirates side in the ILT20, was a part of the same setup where Bravo, Pollard and Fletcher flourished, is a testimony to how fringe players have taken up the learning curve through this process.
This series will be the first ever where UAE and WI clash, starting from tomorrow and will be on till the ninth day of June, as they ramp up their preparations for the Qualifiers.
*UAE PROBABLE XI:*
Muhammad Waseem(c), Vriitya Aravind(wk), Asif Khan, Rohan Mustafa, Rameez Shahzad, Fahad Nawaz, Basil Hameed, Sanchit Sharma, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Karthik Meiyappan
Zahoor Khan, with his medium pace, will look to break the important partnerships and strike gold for UAE vs WI, as the key pacer of UAE coming on the back of good economical form will hold the trump card against WI in the 1st ODI.
Vriitya Aravind is on the verge of becoming the greatest ever UAE player in the ODI format, just 19 runs behind Rohan Mustafa in the all time ODI run getters for UAE. He has been in decent nick in the ACC Premier League having wracked up massive scores of 185 and 174 and will look to start on a bright note here in Sharjah as well.
*WI PROBABLE XI:*
Shai Hope(c)(wk), Brandon King, Shamarh Brooks, Roston Chase, Keacy Carty, Odean Smith, Keemo Paul, Raymon Reifer, Gudakesh Motie, Yannic Cariah, Akeem Jordan
Sahi Hope, the skipper of Windies for this series and the one who will have the responsibility with the gloves as well, will look to lead this side from the front and continue his good cricketing form as he gears up for a test at the UAE. Lately, the 29 year old batted for Yorkshire in the County Championship and he will be eagerly looking forward to transferring his test form into ODI form.
Keemo Paul, drafted back into the mix, is likely to start. He provides WI with a new ball bowling option as well as a middle overs enforcer. His form and fitness has also been proven lately with him doing well for Guyana in the West Indies Championship before the IPL began. His T10 cricket experience here at the UAE gives him the edge and he will look to get into rhythm as soon as possible.
Sinclair is one player from this WI outfit that could feature later in the series having played for WI A vs Bangladesh just recently. We could see Cariah, the leg spinner, leading the spin department alongside Motie. The two will need to put their hands up and control the flow of runs during the 11-40 overs phase as Aravind will look to cash in. Their role as the lead spinners becomes extremely crucial heading into this series and this game first up.
*MY PREDICTIONS FOR THE GAME:*
*FOR UAE:*
Highest run getter- Vriithya Aravind/Muhammad Waseem
Highest wicket taker- Karthik Meiyappan/Zahoor Khan
*FOR WI:*
Highest run getter- Shia Hope/Shamarh Brooks
Highest wicket taker- Keemo Paul/Odean Smith
*FOR THIS GAME:*
WI to win