USA meet the UAE in Grand Prairie after rain washes out the Dallas opener

The United States meet the United Arab Emirates at Grand Prairie Stadium on Monday with a place at the 2027 Cricket World Cup Qualifier already banked, while the visitors sit last in the table and are still waiting for a result in this round

The game is the 128th of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2 cycle and the second of six one-day internationals being played in Dallas between 3 and 13 October, with Namibia completing the tri-series.

UAE's first fixture of the round, against Namibia on Saturday, never got going. Harpreet Singh Bhatia won the toss and bowled after the match had been cut to 20 overs a side, and rain ended it with Namibia 9 for 0 after two overs.

For the hosts, who are second in the eight-team league, the remaining fixtures are about position rather than survival. For UAE, eighth on 19 points, they are the last of the qualifying road.

Where the table stands

Scotland lead League 2 on 45 points and have completed all 36 of their matches. The United States are second on 43 points from 32 games, with 21 wins, and the Netherlands third on 38.

Oman are fourth on 31 points from 28 matches, Namibia fifth on 29, Canada sixth on 25 and Nepal seventh on 24.

UAE are eighth on 19 points from 29 matches, with eight wins, 18 defeats and three games without a result. Every side plays 36 matches across the cycle, which leaves the Emirates seven more and the Americans four.

What qualification requires

The top four in League 2 go straight into the 2027 Cricket World Cup Qualifier, which is being co-hosted by South Africa and Namibia early next year. The bottom four drop into the Qualifier Play-off in December, where places at the Qualifier are the prize.

Scotland, the United States and the Netherlands have already secured their Qualifier berths, leaving Oman and Namibia to settle the fourth automatic place over the closing rounds.

UAE would need something close to a clean sweep of their last seven matches, and help elsewhere, to climb into that group. The realistic route runs through December instead, where four sides from the Challenge League will join the teams dropping out of League 2.

A new face in the UAE squad

Harpreet Singh Bhatia captains a 15-man UAE party in Dallas, coached by Lalchand Rajput.

Seventeen-year-old batter Ayaan Misbah, an Under-19 international, has been called into the senior squad for the first time, as has left-arm spinner Awais Ali Shah.

All-rounder Basil Hameed returns after missing selection for this year's T20 World Cup. His most recent ODI was in November 2024.

Aayan Afzal Khan and Sohaib Khan give the side spin-bowling options, with Tanish Suri and Adeeb Usmani both able to keep wicket.

A settled American side

Monank Patel leads the United States, with Saurabh Netravalkar, Ali Khan and Jessy Singh among the seam options and Nosthush Kenjige and Harmeet Singh the spinners.

Milind Kumar, Shayan Jahangir, Shehan Jayasuriya, Sanjay Krishnamurthi and Shubham Ranjane make up the batting group, with Smit Patel keeping wicket.

The hosts have won 21 of their 32 matches in this cycle, a record bettered by nobody in the competition, and have not needed to look over their shoulder since securing their Qualifier place.

The venue and the rest of the round

Grand Prairie Stadium, which holds about 7,000, staged matches at the 2024 T20 World Cup and is hosting all six fixtures of this round. Play begins at 10am local time, 8.30pm IST.

Namibia, who have the most riding on the round of the three teams in Dallas, face UAE again on 9 October.

The United States and UAE meet for the second time in this round at the same ground on 11 October.

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