Kuwait vs United Arab Emirates, Gulf Cricket T20I Championship 2023, Today Match Prediction 19 September 2023

ku vs uae Match Prediction & Analysis

Kuwait will now take on a strong UAE side after suffering their first loss of the season in their last match. In spite of an in-form side and playing against a relatively inexperienced team, Kuwait failed to dominate Qatar and ended up losing by 1 run while chasing a 157-run target.

UAE are coming into this match with back-to-back wins and will be eyeing a third straight win. They’ve been exceptional with both bat and ball. Skipper Muhammad Waseem is in great touch with consecutive fifties at the top.

Junaid Siddique and Ali Naseer in the bowling attack have been consistent for the UAE and will be key bowlers in this match. Kuwait need to pull themselves back from their recent loss. 

Their bowlers failed to deliver in the last game finding only 3 wickets while bowling first. As they go up against a strong UAE lineup, they need to bring their A-game.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Kuwait Preview

Kuwait were the favorite to win against an inexperienced Qatar who completely outplayed them in every department. First, the bowlers failed to deliver breakthroughs and then the middle order collapsed.

The openers had scored 46 runs for the first wicket in just 4 Overs but the collapse left Kuwait 6 down for 90 runs in the 13th Over. Meet Bhavsar and Usman Patel at number 3 and 4 are the key middle-order batters expected to lead Kuwait in such run-chases.

While Ravija Sandaruwan would continue his attacking approach at the top, what Kuwait desperately needs is a partnership in the middle. A lot depends on the top 4 and another batting collapse would cost Kuwait another loss.

The lower order of Shiraz Khan, Sayed Monib, and Parvindar Kumar came to the rescue in the last match taking the team almost across the line. Kuwait should consider promoting Monib and Kumar to number 5 and 6.

Yasin Patel and Shiraz Khan are the key bowlers for Kuwait. The skipper Muhammad Alsam who bowls his full quota of 4 overs was among the top wicket-takers for Kuwait until the last match where he was expensive and wicketless. Aslam needs his bowlers to bounce back and find early wickets to get rid of the in-form top-order batters in the UAE lineup. 

Kuwait Predicted Playing XI:

Mohammed Aslam (c), Adnan Idrees, Usman Patel (wk), Ahsan ul Haq, Ravija Sandaruwan, Meet Bhavsar, Shiraz Khan, Parvindar Kumar, Sayed Monib, Yasin Patel, Shahrukh Quddus

United Arab Emirates Preview

UAE should be keen on making it 3 out of 3 after successive wins in the first two games. Skipper Muhammad Waseem will be happy with his team’s performances so far in this tournament. 

They got off to a great start in their first outing with a 191-run total batting first against Oman and followed it up with a brilliant bowling performance against Saudi Arabia in the next game.

Junaid Siddique, Ali Naseer, and Muhammad Jawadullah will be the key wicket-takers to watch out for. The skipper would be aware of the fragility of Kuwait’s middle-order and should be backing his bowlers to find early wickets.

The UAE haven’t won the toss in either of their matches yet. They would likely bowl first if they win the toss in this match. In addition to reliable and in-form bowlers, UAE also feature some consistent players in their batting lineup.

Skipper and opening batsman Muhammad Waseem has scored two fifties in two innings so far. In the first match against Oman, Waseem scored 80 off 38 balls including 4 fours and 8 sixes.

His opening partner Aryansh Sharma is also in great touch while in the middle order, there is Asif Khan who’s been consistent. Most of the run-scoring has been done by the top 4 in this lineup and in case they lose the openers cheaply, UAE’s middle and lower-middle order will be tested.

United Arab Emirates Predicted Playing XI:

Aryansh Sharma (wk), Muhammad Waseem (c), Vriitya Aravind, Asif Khan, Ali Naseer, Ansh Tandon, Basil Hameed, Aayan Afzal Khan, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Jawadullah, Zahoor Khan

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The pitch is a balanced one where batters can execute their strokes with great timing and pacers can also find some help from the surface. It is a clear day in Doha with a high of 36 degrees Celsius.

Venue Details

West End Park International Cricket Stadium in Doha is all set to host the 9th match of the Gulf Cricket T20I Championship 2023 as Kuwait go head to head with an in-form UAE. A 157-run target was almost chased down at this venue and keeping that in mind, the team batting first should look to score at least 165 or more runs to stay competitive in the game.

Toss: To Bowl

Kuwait’s two wins in this tournament came while bowling first. Even in the last game they lost by 1 run, Kuwait had opted to bowl first. While UAE managed to successfully defend 191 in their opening game, they would be looking to bowl first and chase a total as well.