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As the countdown continues to the inaugural ICC
Intercontinental Cup semi-finals, the
United Arab
Emirates captain Mohammad Tauqir explains that the unity of his
team can help it win the three-day first-class tournament on home
soil.
Interview
with UAE captain Mohammad Tauqir
How important is the ICC
Intercontinental Cup to your team?
The ICC
Intercontinental Cup is very important for the UAE team, it is the
first time we have played three-day first-class cricket and we
have done well so far. If we win the ICC Intercontinental Cup the
morale and confidence of UAE team will be high in the forthcoming
ICC Trophy 2005 in Ireland.
Do you think playing three-day international cricket has benefited
your team?
Of course it has,
as a batsman you learn to stay at the wicket, you learn to leave
the ball and play at short-pitched deliveries and as a bowler you
learn to bowl a good line and length with longer spells. So, as a
batsman you learn to build an innings and as a bowler you learn to
attack and contain depending on the situation. Overall I think you
get the opportunity to improve your cricketing skills with this
longer version of the game.
How do the tactics for the
three-day game differ from limited overs cricket?
It was totally a
new experience for us playing in sessions. In one-day cricket you
get one innings break and you restart, whereas in three-day
cricket you have to play session by session. You should be a
specialized batsman or bowler to do the job. I also believe in
three-day games sometimes you have to bat defensively and
sometimes you have to be aggressive according to situation. You
need to learn to identify the match situation and play accordingly
and it needs mental toughness and physical fitness.
Can you remember the first time
you played 'declaration cricket' (i.e. not limited overs) where
was it, how many wickets runs did you get?
The first time we
played declaration cricket was in the ICC Intercontinental Cup
match against Nepal in Sharjah in March 2004. We scored 293 for 9
declared in 82.1 overs.
What were the highlights of the qualifying matches?
So far we have
played two games and we have witnessed three centuries from our
batsmen and a couple of 10-wicket hauls from the bowlers as well
as some excellent catches and fielding.
What are your strengths as a team?
We play as a one
unit, we have self-belief and every one knows his role in the
team.
Have you made any special plans for any of the opposition?
We are ready to
play against any team as one unit and play in the spirit of the
game as it should be played. We shall work hard and do our best,
our focus will be on performance and not on the outcome. |
