DUBAI, Oct 11: Arshad Ali will lead a depleted Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) squad against Ireland in the semifinals of ICC Intercontinental Cup to be played at Windhoek, Namibia, from Oct 23-25.

A number of senior players, including captain Khurram Khan, have “excused” themselves from making the trip to Windhoek, citing “work commitments.”

But Abdul Razzaque Kazim, team coach and manager, remains upbeat about his team’s showing in premier tournament. “I will be counting on boys’ fighting spirits. If they play to their potential, we can make a good impression in Namibia.”

The new-look 13-member ECB squad includes 10 Pakistan expatriates and one each from India and Sri Lanka. Only UAE national is young pacer Fahad Al Hashmi.

UAE qualified for semifinals after topping Asian region group which included Nepal and Hong Kong. In the first match at Sharjah UAE beat Hong Kong and lost next match to Nepal at Kathmandu. UAE still topped Their group, accumulating 41 points to Nepal’s 40.5 points. Hong Kong finished with 18 points.

In the other semifinal Bermuda will take on Kenya. Final will be played from Oct 27-29 in Namibian capital.

ICC Intercontinental Cup, featuring three-day matches, is a new tournament that gives top associate member countries from Europe, Asia, Africa and Americas exposure to longer version of game. The matches have first-class status.

The inaugural tournament was won by Scotland in 2004 and showcased some excellent cricket with regional winners Canada, Kenya, and UAE joining them in semifinals.—PPI