UAE announce squad for home tri-series against Pakistan, Afghanistan

DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) have unveiled a 15-member squad, led by skipper Muhammad Waseem, for the upcoming T20I tri-series in Sharjah featuring Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The series, running from August 29 to September 7, will act as a tune-up for the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025, which kicks off in the UAE on September 9.

Compared to their previous campaign in Uganda’s Pearl of Africa Cup, where they fell short in the final against the hosts, the UAE have expanded their squad from 14 to 15 players.

Four fresh faces, Harshit Kaushik, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, and Muhammad Jawadullah, have been drafted in, while Akif Raja, Matiullah Khan, and Zuhaib Zubair miss out this time.

The nucleus of the side remains unchanged, with the experienced Waseem supported by Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma, and Rahul Chopra.

Rising talents such as Muhammad Zohaib, the UAE’s standout batter in Uganda, and all-rounder Saghir Khan also retain their places.

Former India opener Lalchand Rajput will continue as head coach.

The UAE will begin their campaign against Pakistan on August 30, before facing Afghanistan on September 1, Pakistan again on September 4, and Afghanistan on September 5.

The final is set for September 7, just two days before the Asia Cup gets underway, where the UAE will share a group with India, Oman, and Pakistan.

It’s worth noting that the squad for the ACC Asia Cup 2025 will be announced separately.

UAE squad for T20I tri-series

Muhammad Waseem (capt), Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma (wk), Asif Khan, Dhruv Parashar, Ethan D’Souza, Haider Ali, Harshit Kaushik, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Zohaib, Rahul Chopra (wk), Rohid Khan, Saghir Khan.

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