World Cup teams arrive in Dubai to hone skills

Minnows aim to upset form book in the tournament



Peter Borren and William Porterfield

Image Credit: Ahmed Ramzan/Gulf News

 Dubai: The four associate nations — Ireland, Kenya, the Netherlands and Canada — look to make an impact in the ICC Cricket World Cup and have arrived to sharpen their skills at the state-of-the-art International Cricket Council Global Cricket Academy.

Bubbling with enthusiasm and determination, they began their hard work yesterday at the Gatorade High Performance Camp.

Ireland, who had stunned Pakistan in the 2007 World Cup to reach the super eight is hoping to do even better.

"We might go even better and further than in 2007. It is difficult to compare two World Cups because in the last World Cup we were very much an unknown team. Now every team knows everything about every player in our squad. It is going to be a different challenge but I don't see why we cannot improve and go in further than from where we were," Ireland captain William Porterfield told Gulf News.

Ireland has two hosts India and Bangladesh in their group. "Playing against home nations on their soil could be tough. To play against India is not going to be easy but when we go out into the pitch it will be our eleven versus their eleven and if we can stick to our basics and plans we can beat any side in our group," he added.

Productive trip

Equally confident are the Netherlands and Canada who have come out of a harsh winter. "It was a harsh winter for us in the Netherlands. We had a two-week trip to Pune which was very productive and after that we have been stuck indoors. So it is really good to be here," Netherlands captain Peter Borren told Gulf News.

Netherlands players are familiar with the conditions in India. "In the last four years we have been to India six times but the conditions may wary from ground to ground. We play in Nagpur and Mohali where it could be quicker and New Delhi wicket might be slower and may keep low. So it is about adapting to conditions like anywhere else."

Canada is delighted to be here after heavy snow had struck their country. "Fortunately we had some indoor places where we could practise during snow. Training here for one week will really help us. We had also played in the T20 in the Caribbeans. The weather there and in Dubai will be the same and it will help us," said Rizwan Cheema, vice-captain of the Canada team.

Balanced team

Steve Tikolo, the most experienced Kenyan player, feels that his side is very balanced. "We have the right mix of youth and experience. Working with Jonty Rhodes too has helped us. We have been doing a lot of fielding drills which we all are enjoying. This will hopefully improve our game and performance," said Tikolo.

"Our strength has always been batting. Of late we have not been doing well which is a problem we have been addressing . Still I believe that batting is our strength," he said. Tikolo, who had played a pivotal role in Kenya's stunning wins, does not fear any top team.

"There cannot be any easy opponent in the World Cup. The Test playing nations are strong but if we do our best and correctly do the simple things in the game then we might walk away with a win," he warned.