Ahmed Raza says UAE are ready for 'intense' challenge of Texas cricket tour

The UAE might be some way off from being promoted to Test status.

But the players of the national team will get a clue to how it feels to play the longest format when they return to Cricket World Cup League 2 action next week.

Ahmed Raza’s side are heading to Texas to play a series in the United States for the first time.

It is likely to be a physically exacting challenge. After travelling for the best part of a day to a destination that has a nine-hour time difference to Dubai, the players will have two days to recover from jetlag before taking the field.

Even the match schedule itself is severe. The UAE will play four one-day internationals in five days, with a day’s break between back-to-back games against Scotland and the hosts.

It represents a unique challenge for a side who had already played a gruelling set of games earlier this year. Up until the end of March, UAE played 19 international matches in the space of 44 days.

FixturesSaturday, May 28, United States v ScotlandSunday, May 29, United States v ScotlandTuesday, May 31, UAE v ScotlandWednesday, June 1, UAE v United StatesFriday, June 3, UAE v ScotlandSaturday, June 4, UAE v United StatesUAE squad: Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri, Muhammad Waseem, Vriitya Aravind, CP Rizwan, Basil Hameed, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Karthik Meiyappan, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Alishan Sharafu, Akif Raja, Rahul BhatiaTable1. Oman 32 19 11 40 +0.1562. Scotland 16 11 3 24 +0.5743. UAE 18 10 6 22 +0.224. Namibia 14 7 7 14 +0.0965. United States 16 7 9 14 -0.2296. Nepal 12 6 6 12 +0.1137. Papua New Guinea 20 1 19 2 -0.856

Raza, though, is focused on results and consolidating the side’s place in the top three of the competition. If they finish inside the top three, they are