Club Captain Alex Davies is looking forward to seeing his side test themselves in a cup competition.
Bears are joined by Team Abu Dhabi, Essex, Nottinghamshire, Somerset and Yorkshire in the Abu Dhabi Counties Super Cup with Team Abu Dhabi up first on Friday (2.15pm GMT).
With a trophy on the line in a competitive environment, Davies is ready to see the Bears showcase their T20 skills after topping the North Group last term.
“We’ve had a good training block now leading into this this tournament,” said the wicket-keeper. “I think it just helps having a competitive tournament against some of the county teams that we can really showcase our skills.
“In last year’s pre-season, we had a few T20s, but having an actual structured competition where there’s something on the line will really help us work out where we are at the minute.”
He added: “We want to win every single game we play, but we’re still managing a few players workloads. We’ve got to get a lot of cricket through everyone in the squad because you never know who’s going to play during the season and who’s going to end up having those winning runs in a final.
“Everyone’s got a chance to showcase their skills and we’re definitely trying to win every game.”
All fixtures will be played at the Tolerance Oval just a short walk from the impressive Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in the Abu Dhabi Cricket & Sports Hub. The venue became 122nd Test cricket venue in the world when Ireland earned their first victory in Test cricket beating Afghanistan by six wickets.
After playing Team Abu Dhabi, Bears will face Yorkshire on Sunday (10am BST) before entering Sunday’s Finals Day which is based on results.
“They’re smallish pitches, good wickets, but it can be very windy,” concluded the 29-year-old. “It also could be a lot of hitting from one end and then being clever and smart from the other.
“We’re not sure on Team Abu Dhabi’s line-up as I think a few county players that are here are going to turn out for them. We’ve obviously got quite a big squad out here, so Che Simmons and Kai Smith will play for them to get some valuable cricket time.
“Yorkshire are always a good white ball team, white ball squad and we’ve had some good battles over the last couple of years. We’re really looking forward to it and we’re grateful for the Club putting this on.”
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