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The United Arab Emirates (UAE) have named a 15-member squad for the upcoming T20I tri-series at home against Pakistan and Afghanistan, with Muhammad Waseem set to lead the side.
The series is scheduled to take place in Sharjah from August 29 to September 7, giving all the participating teams an important chance to fine-tune their preparations ahead of the Men’s T20 Asia Cup, which begins at the same venue on September 9.
The squad has been expanded from 14 to 15 players following UAE’s recent campaign at the Pearl of Africa Cup in Uganda, where they finished as runners-up.
Four changes have been made, with Harshit Kaushik, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, and Muhammad Jawadullah coming into the side. Missing out from the previous squad are Akif Raja, Matiullah Khan, and Zuhaib Zubair.
Kaushik, a 28-year-old middle-order batter who also bowls left-arm spin, could make his international debut. Experienced seamer Siddique, 32, returns to the side after featuring in 59 ODIs with 76 wickets and 71 T20Is with 96 wickets, along with stints in leagues like the ILT20 and Global T20 Canada.
Left-arm pacer Jawadullah, 26, has already impressed in 12 ODIs and 33 T20Is, collecting 65 wickets across formats. Meanwhile, 32-year-old leg-spinning all-rounder Farooq adds further balance to the squad, having contributed in both formats, including nine wickets in T20Is.
The core of the squad remains steady, with the likes of Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma, Rahul Chopra, and Muhammad Zohaib supporting skipper Waseem. Zohaib was UAE’s standout performer with the bat in Uganda, while Saghir Khan adds balance as an all-round option. The team is coached by former India opener Lalchand Rajput.
Tri-series schedule (7:00 PM local time):
Aug 29 – Afghanistan vs Pakistan
Aug 30 – UAE vs Pakistan
Sep 1 – UAE vs Afghanistan
Sep 2 – Afghanistan vs Pakistan
Sep 4 – UAE vs Pakistan
Sep 5 – UAE vs Afghanistan
Sep 7 – Final
The tri-series final is scheduled for September 7, just two days before UAE begin their Asia Cup campaign, where they are grouped with India, Pakistan, and Oman.
UAE squad for T20I tri-series:
Muhammad Waseem (captain), Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma (wicket keeper), Asif Khan, Dhruv Parashar, Ethan D’Souza, Haider Ali, Harshit Kaushik, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Zohaib, Rahul Chopra (wicket keeper), Rohid Khan, Saghir Khan.
