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Lalchand Rajput already knows his side will be back on a flight after Wednesday’s meeting with South Africa in Delhi, yet the UAE coach isn’t downbeat. His team have at least avoided the wooden spoon – a nervy win over Canada saw to that – and, more importantly for him, they have highlighted what a bit of game-time can do for any Associate nation.
“I’m not surprised with [how the] Associate teams [have performed] because we play among the associates. It’s a big platform for the Associates to show off their talent. And I think they have done that,” he said on Tuesday, leaning back in the modest media room and sounding more proud mentor than disappointed coach. “If you look at overall cricket all over the world, the smaller teams are really coming up. It’s a good thing that cricket is growing and that Associate countries have put their hands up and said: ‘don’t take us lightly’.”
Plenty have done the shouting for him. Nepal pushed England all the way on the opening night; the Netherlands nearly pinched Pakistan’s scalp after a late dropped catch; and the USA had both India and Pakistan wobbling. Scotland had their spells against the West Indies. Even Italy, new to this level, grabbed a first World Cup win – admittedly against fellow Associate Nepal – and looked tidy against England. Only Canada, Namibia and Oman have walked away winless, though several score-lines flatter their conquerors.
The UAE’s own campaign has been a reminder that improvement is rarely linear. They were hammered by New Zealand, stumbled over the line against Canada and then went toe-to-toe with Afghanistan before falling nine runs short. That upward curve, Rajput believes, simply mirrors exposure.
“The last two games, we really proved that we are a better team than what was expected after the first game,” he said. “Associate countries should play more matches. Until you play more matches, you will not know how to deal with those [close] situations. You can do a net-match-up but how do you come out of a tight situation like 80 for 5? Or how do you win in the last two overs? You don’t get that until you’re on the ground, until you feel it, that’s why you want to play more matches.”
One beneficiary of this tournament is Sohaib Khan, a compact right-hander with only five T20I caps before arriving in India. Back-to-back fifties – tidy, unfussy knocks rather than fireworks – have left more seasoned batters in his slipstream.
“We saw him in the local cricket and we called him for the camp. And then in the national camp, we played matches among ourselves, so he showed a lot of positive intent and really batted well. Before this, we took him to the [Asia Cup Rising Stars] where he got a 60-odd against India,” Rajput explained. “He is mentally strong and he plays fearless cricket. He backs his skill and the way he is battling is fantastic. It’s a good platform for him to show what he can do. He just has to go higher now. He can’t go down now.”
Rajput, who coached India to a maiden T20 world title back in 2007, knows pathways are everything. He points to the improvement of the Netherlands after regular county-cricket exposure and the rise of the USA on the back of Major League Cricket’s deeper pockets. The next step, in his view, is a structured second-tier tournament running parallel with the main ICC cycle – something Aakash Chopra and Monty Desai have also floated in recent weeks – so Associate players face international pressure more than once every four years.
The coach is realistic about Wednesday. South Africa have already qualified for the next phase, but pace on a true Delhi surface remains a different proposition to Canada’s medium-pacers or Afghanistan’s spinners. Yet he is not talking survival; he is talking intent. Expect the UAE to play two spinners, squeeze during the middle overs and, if the coin falls their way, chase rather than set.
There will be no giddy proclamations. Rajput has been around cricket long enough to know one win does not change everything, but it can shift perceptions, especially among administrators who control fixtures and funding.
He offered a final nudge on the subject: “We really proved that we are a better team than what was expected… don’t take us lightly.”
Whether that message sticks depends less on tomorrow’s result and more on what the ICC and full-member boards choose to do once the tournament caravan moves on. For now, the UAE pack their bags with a single victory, a handful of fresh memories and, crucially, firmer belief that they belong.
