I think you're misreading that. The clip isn't from the UAE (pretty sure it's in NZ somewhere - U19 World Cup). Kippax is just saying he's glad the NZ selectors have picked him for the NZ A tour to the UAE, and that the weakness teased out in that clip will be much harder to exploit on the lower-bouncing pitches there than it was in NZ.
Yeah, I quickly boiled that down to its sweetest 34 seconds and stored it on my phone. It'll be ready for the next grumpy guy at a Wellington club cricket ground who insists Weerasundara only got into as many Wellington A squads as he did courtesy of being 'to the manor born' and his father having excellent cricket connections.
It probably has as much to do with him looking awesome as it does anything else. On a good day the bloke looks like an international player between backward point and extra cover. Obviously he has his weaknesses - both mental and technical - but you can see why Wellington have occasionally taken the opportunity to give him more cricket even in spite of them and mediocre club cricket returns. "High ceiling" as they say.
Forget contracted, he's now in NZ A team to Dubai meaning he's going to miss out two months of cricket for Firebirds or to put it better Firebirds are going to miss him in Oct-Nov. Besides there's also an A tour from India to NZ and if Ravindra goes well he'll probably be involved in that as well. It is expected of him to do well but his rise has been quite swift. I can only think of Vettori who was drafted into Black Caps based on a handful of first class games. Like Ravindra, Vettori made his first class debut vs England in 1997. It took very little time for Vettori to settle down in the black caps team. That said Ravindra's case is quite different, he's a batsman that can bowl or is it the other way around? Hard to tell as he seems near complete in both aspects. It may take couple of years for him to get into Black caps though as Santner is always around the corner and the batting is quite stacked at the moment at the top in most formats.
Very good player, should be in the firebirds soon. There's going to be places by next year and this kid and Raki Weerasundara should be the next couple to play for firebirds.
I quite like that, it's not all that easy to bowl at good pace. We have enough that can land on a consistent area but lack the pace and magic balls. Really looking forward to Ben Sears playing this year, don't expect him to be instant hit but I'm guessing he'll be with the BCs with a year or max 2 if he's fit.
