T20 star Chris Lynn hopes the UAE can unearth a gem like spin sensation Rashid Khan after being granted a shot at Australia.
The two sides will meet in Abu Dhabi on Monday, in a warm-up for Australia’s T20 series against Pakistan, with the match granted full international status.
It will be Australia’s first official meeting in any format with the nation ranked No.13 on the ICC’s T20 rankings.
Chris Lynn is looking forward to seeing what the UAE has to offer. Picture: Brett Costello.Source:News Corp Australia
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Better known for hosting cricket than playing it, the UAE are yet to produce a player who has achieved global recognition.
The same could have been said of Afghanistan before legspinner Rashid burst onto the scene as a teenage prodigy.
He, along with allrounder Mohammad Nabi, has become a star of T20 leagues including the IPL and the Big Bash.
Lynn believes Rashid’s rise to prominence is proof cricket’s minnows should be given greater opportunities to play against the game’s best.
“We’ve seen Afghanistan over the last couple of years and some of the players that have come out of that – like Rashid Khan – are unbelievable,” Lynn said.
“The UAE’s not that far behind them so I think they’ve got a great opportunity now to get known on the world stage.
“As a team they might not be as strong but if one or two blokes can get picked up in say the IPL, I think it’s going to be great for the game of cricket.
Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan has burst onto the world scene.Source:AFP
“Young kids are going to see that and aspire to (replicate) guys, like in Afghanistan with Rashid Khan where everyone wants to bowl legspin.”
While Afghanistan made the cut for next year’s ODI World Cup, the UAE failed to qualify after the competition was scaled back from 16 teams to just 10.
They made their second ODI World Cup appearance when Australia and New Zealand hosted the tournament in 2015.
Lynn said Australia would gain plenty from playing a warm-up game with full international status.
“I reckon it’s awesome,” he said.
“We’re coming up against the No.1 T20 side in the world (in Pakistan) so we want to make sure we get momentum early in the series.
“There’s no better way to do that than having a proper fixture.”
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Originally published as Lynn tells UAE to use Afghans as inspiration
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