Unlike teams such as Bangladesh and Kenya, the UAE have not progressed a great deal at the international level, even given the limited chances they’ve had. Their squad of 15 players has a collective ODI experience of six matches.

They have six Pakistanis, two Lankans and two Indians. Still, there are more local players than ever in the UAE side, after their cricket board implemented a quota system to get a minimum of four local players in the squad. The captain, Saqib Ali, comes from Mutlan and has not made ODI debut yet. The team finished sixth among eight team in the ICC Intercontinental Cup. Clearly, the UAE are not expected to ruffle feathers at the Asia Cup.