Jersey relishing 'step up in quality' - Brennan
Charlie Brennan had one of his best innings as a jersey batter against Nepal
- Published
Jersey batter Charlie Brennan says games with Nepal and the United Arab Emirates are good tests for the island side.
Brennan's knock of 82 not out helped Jersey recover from 59-8 to reach 169 all out as they lost to Nepal by 81 runs in their opening game on Monday.
Jersey will play Nepal again on Wednesday before hosting the UAE on 27 and 29 July.
The matches are Jersey's first one-day games of the summer as they prepare for the final round of games in ICC Challenge League A in Qatar in the autumn.
Should table-topping Jersey finish in the top two, they would go on to reach the 2027 Cricket World Cup Qualifier Play-Off.
"We don't necessarily always get that calibre of opposition to play, so the step up in quality was good," Brennan told BBC Radio Jersey.
"It was a good test for the boys to see where we stand ahead of hopefully some bigger games later on in the year."
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Should Jersey reach the 2027 Cricket World Cup Qualifier Play-Off, they would have the chance to qualify for Cricket World Cup League 2.
The division is the highest rung of 50-over competition for associate nations of the ICC and where both Nepal and the UAE have played over the past few years.
"The third round of Challenge League in October and then the Qualifier Play-Off in December is a massive opportunity for us at 50-over cricket," said Jersey head coach Neil MacRae.
"That's why we've got the quality of Nepal and UAE coming to Jersey this month to start our 50-over season off."
The loss to Nepal was Jersey's first 50-over match this year, having focused on Twenty20 cricket ahead of winning ICC 2028 T20 World Cup Sub Regional Europe Qualifier A in Cyprus in May.
"I thought we were good in the first half of the game with the ball and in the field with some tricky conditions with a bit of rain around, greasy outfield," added Brennan.
"There's definitely elements that we can improve on, and we'll certainly talk about that going into Wednesday, but we won't get too down about it; we'll give it a good go on Wednesday."