UAE were clearly out of their depth at the World T20 last year in Bangladesh, but they have given a much better account of themselves so far in this World Cup. They have posted big totals in both their games, and put Zimbabwe and Ireland under plenty of pressure in the chase, only to let it slip away in the end. But now they are up against a different level of opposition, the big guns from India.
The defending champions have thumped the likes of Pakistan and South Africa, and now lie in wait for lesser opponents. Like UAE, they have racked up stiff scores batting first, but their bowlers and fielders have been sharper. They have taken it easy since beating South Africa at the MCG, and had nets only on the day before the match, after a couple of off days and a fielding-only session in between. UAE have had to do the same as well, but theirs has been a forced hand. They played Ireland in Brisbane on Wednesday, flew across Australia to Perth on Thursday, leaving them only Friday to acclimatize ahead of Saturday’s match.
India are overwhelming favourites, and a win will keep them on top of their group. UAE will have to plug the gaps, particularly in their bowling and fielding, to challenge MS Dhoni’s men. If they can do that and test the Indians, they will have made a greater case for the cause of the Associates at the World Cup than their previous two encouraging performances.
Form guide
(last five completed matches, most recent first)
India: WWLLL
UAE: LLWLW
In the spotlight
The UAE batsmen have scored 285 and 278 in their two outings in the tournament. But the pace of Umesh Yadav on a WACA pitch as part of a versatile India attack will be a much harder proposition.
With 67 and 106, Shaiman Anwar has been responsible for UAE’s impressive twin batting displays. The Indians would not like him to make it a hat-trick of standout innings.
Rohit Sharma has been the only batsman among the India top five who has not contributed in either match yet. He will want to get a decent score in the bag ahead of the West Indies game on the same ground.
Teams news
Mohammed Shami has been ruled out of the UAE match with a “mild left-knee problem.” MS Dhoni had earlier indicated that Stuart Binny could come in to the XI for the side’s games in Perth, and the allrounder had a good workout with bat and ball during training. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has had a light workload in the nets so far this tournament, bowled with reasonable rhythm as well.
India (possible) 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Ajinkya Rahane, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Stuart Binny/Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 8 Ravindra Jadeja, 9 R Ashwin, 10 Mohit Sharma, 11 Umesh Yadav
UAE came within two strikes of a win against Ireland in Brisbane, which should encourage them to stick with the same combination.
UAE (possible) 1 Amjad Ali, 2 Andri Berenger, 3 Krishna Chandran, 4 Khurram Khan, 5 Swapnil Patil (wk), 6 Shaiman Anwar, 7 Rohan Mustafa, 8 Mohammad Naveed, 9 Amjad Javed, 10 Mohammad Tauqir (capt), 11 Manjula Guruge
Pitch and conditions
The WACA pitch had some uneven bounce during the recent one-day tri-series. India were bundled out for 200 by England, who then lost seven wickets to get home. Australia surged to 278 for 8 in the final thanks to a Glenn Maxwell special, and England crumbled to 166. It was a windy, sunny afternoon at the WACA on Friday, and a high of 31 degrees is expected on match day.
Stats and trivia
Quotes
“We know they are big stars, but we will take this game like the previous two games. We will not be intimidated by their names or their status.”
UAE captain Mohammad Tauqir on the India players
“We play the game the way it has to be played, and we’re going to play with the same fighting spirit and going to keep the same intensity tomorrow.”
Shikhar Dhawan says India are not taking UAE lightly
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