UAE select 16-year-old schoolboy for T20 World Cup in Australia

Aayan Afzal Khan, a 16-year-old schoolboy from Sharjah, will be on the flight to Australia as part of UAE’s squad for the T20 World Cup.

The all-rounder will join the senior squad for the first time when they make the trip to Geelong next month.

The national team will play first round matches against Asia Cup champions Sri Lanka, Namibia and the Netherlands.

Although uncapped at senior level, Aayan has played men’s domestic cricket for some years now.

He was also the outstanding player when UAE’s age-group side beat West Indies at the Under 19 World Cup in the Caribbean earlier this year.

CP Rizwan will captain the UAE at the T20 World Cup. His predecessor as captain, Ahmed Raza, has made the 15-man squad for the competition, but Rohan Mustafa, the country’s most-capped player, has been omitted.

The Emirates Cricket Board did not address Mustafa’s absence when they announced the squad via a press release.

The announcement, though, did cite the fact some players had been “rested” for the competition.

“While a number of players have been rested for this tour, Robin Singh, director of cricket and national teams’ head coach, is buoyed by the inclusion of a number of the country’s young talent that have proven their worth to wear the country’s flag,” the statement read.