UAE coach Dougie Brown has said that the upcoming series against the US will serve as the ideal preparation
dubai — UAE cricket team coach Dougie Brown has said that the upcoming series against the US will serve as the ideal preparation for a hectic schedule that will follow this season.
The UAE are set to play two T20 Internationals as well as six 50over fixtures split between the UAE and a UAE XI over the next fortnight. And Brown said that these games will help the team iron out whatever chinks and sharpen them for battles ahead.
“Preparations have been excellent,” Brown told the Khaleej Times on Thursday on the eve of the first T20 International at the ICC Cricket Academy on Friday afternoon.
“Obviously, there will be a lot of cricket over the next few months. So, we will use this series against the US to prepare for a busy schedule. We want to make sure we are actually on point,” he added.
Brown, who represented both England and Scotland, said they were waiting to know from the International Cricket Council (ICC) on what lies ahead.
“We are waiting for the ICC schedule of fixtures and I think we will have a clear picture by April. But I reckon, there will be a lot of cricket. We have got a vision and we want to make sure these fixtures against the US are of vital impor- tance in that journey,” explained the 49-year-old, who was appointed in 2017.
Brown was also delighted to have the three players — all-rounder Rohan Mustafa, middle-order batsman Rameez Shahzad and left-arm spinner Ahmed Raza — back in the squad. The trio served an eight-week suspension for violation of the Emirates Cricket Board’s (ECB) Code of Conduct and had missed Nepal’s tour of the UAE in January. “I’m delighted that they are back. The three of them are very good players, experienced and consistent players for us and we are excited they are back. We are looking at some good performances from these three and also from the rest of the players,” said Brown.