World Cup preview: Ireland could make quarters; UAE could spring a surprise

The 2019 World Cup may be shorn of non-Test teams, but in this tournament four Associates are alive and kicking. Many will say they are just making up the numbers, but they have a more vital role to play than that. In countries where cricket is still a developing sport, World Cup participation can be a catalyst for expansion and give the sport the vital oxygen that is press coverage. They also create a strong underdog narrative. There was John Davison’s brilliant hundred for Canada against the West Indies in 2003; Kenya’s run to the semi-final in the same tournament, and Ireland defeating Pakistan in 2007. And who can forget Kevin O’Brien’s heroics that led Ireland to victory over England in 2011? The World Cup will be poorer without these teams and these stories. So what can we expect from the Associates in 2015? Afghanistan In the World Cup warm-up event between Afghanistan, Ireland and Scotland held in the UAE, Afghanistan easily chased down 237 in 38 overs against Scotland in the opening match. They met Scotland again three matches later, and this time Afghanistan were set 214 to win. This time Afghanistan were bundled out for 63. Quite which Afghanistan will turn up for this tournament is up for debate. [caption id=“attachment_2088683” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File photo of Kevin O’Brien. Getty[/caption] There are some fine players in their squad, not least the captain Mohammad Nabi whose powerful middle order batting and wily spin bowling will cause issues for opponents. Hamid Hassan and his pace will be a handful on Australian wickets, while Shapoor Zadran could frustrate batsmen with the new ball at the other end. If it clicks for Afghanistan, they could cause an upset or two. But that is the largest of ifs. Ireland For over a decade Ireland have been the “best of the rest.” They have won Associate titles in One Day, Twenty20 and First Class cricket. In recent years Afghanistan have run them close, but Ireland still represent the best chance for an Associate to make the quarter-finals. In their opening match they face the beleaguered West Indies and it isn’t hard to imagine Ireland winning. They defeated a very strong New Zealand A side in Dubai recently, which would have given them a lot of confidence. The vast majority of the squad play county cricket in England and the rest are not short of top level games either. Ed Joyce was in sensational form for Sussex last season and Ireland will hope for more of the same at the World Cup. Unfortunately, Ireland will be missing the bowling of Tim Murtagh, but Craig Young and John Mooney have been an effective new ball pairing. Ireland will be the Associate that the Full Members will be most fearful of facing. Scotland This will be Scotland’s third World Cup out of the last six. Despite having more cricketers playing the game than any other non-Test nation, Scotland rarely get mentioned as a cricketing force. In recent years they have been looking to change that, and certainly their victory at the World Cup qualifying event in early 2014 was impressive. The man of the series in that tournament was the Scottish captain, Preston Mommsen. The South African born batsman scored his second hundred of the tournament in the final as Scotland defeated the UAE. Their squad is fully professional and they have taken their preparations for this World Cup very seriously. Majid Haq, Scotland’s most capped player, has said that they are very confident that they won’t be outclassed and are targeting the games against Afghanistan, Bangladesh and England in a push to make the quarter-finals. If they are to achieve that target, Iain Wardlaw and Josh Davey will have to pick up early wickets. Between them, they collected all ten wickets when they dismissed Afghanistan for 63 last month. A quarter-final may well be too much to hope for, but you can count on a win or two. UAE The United Arab Emirates will make their second appearance at the World Cup. In 1996, they were led led by Sultan Zarawani, an Emirati figure-head for the squad. This time something similar has happened as UAE passport holder Mohammad Tauqir was recalled as captain, despite not having played for the national side since 2012. At 43, Tauqir is the joint-oldest player at the tournament along with Khurram Khan, the man he replaced as captain and with whom he shares the same birthday. Despite being superannuated, Khan is still the UAE’s best player by a distance. He became the oldest international centurion when he made 132* against Afghanistan in November 2014, and he has an ODI batting average over 50. The batsman that can cause the most damage in the end overs is Shairman Anwar. He has faded a little over the last few years but he is capable of scoring very quickly. In the recent matches against Afghanistan he did just that, making 51 at a run-a-ball to set up a victory that saw the UAE take the ODI series 3-1. Although the UAE is the weakest of the Associates, their record against others outside of Test cricket has been excellent and in late 2014 they pushed a strong Pakistan A side close in a five-match series, losing 3-2. In coach Aaqib Javed they have a man who has supreme confidence in himself and his charges. Don’t write them off.