SHARJAH: The trophy for the T20I tri-nation series featuring Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was officially unveiled on Thursday at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, marking the start of an exciting cricket showdown in the Gulf.
The ceremony was attended by the captains of all three participating teams: Salman Ali Agha (Pakistan), Rashid Khan (Afghanistan), and Muhammad Waseem (UAE), who posed alongside the gleaming trophy ahead of the opening clash.
The tri-series will run from August 29 to September 7 at the same venue and serves as a crucial build-up to the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup, scheduled in the UAE from September 9 to 28.
From bilateral to tri-nation
Originally planned as a bilateral series between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the event was converted into a tri-nation tournament after a proposal by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The change aims to give all three teams valuable match practice in UAE conditions, mirroring the setting of the upcoming Asia Cup.
Tournament format
The action kicks off on Friday, August 29, with Pakistan taking on Afghanistan under the lights at 7:00 PM local time. Each team will face the other twice, and the top two teams on the points table will clash in the final on September 7.
Pakistan squad
Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Ali Agha (C), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (WK), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr., Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem.
UAE Squad
Muhammad Waseem (C), 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.
Afghanistan Squad
Rashid Khan (C), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Ishaq, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, AM Ghazanfar, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Farid Ahmad Malik, Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Match Schedule (All matches at 7 PM local time):
29 August – Afghanistan vs Pakistan
30 August – UAE vs Pakistan
1 September – UAE vs Afghanistan
2 September – Pakistan vs Afghanistan
4 September – Pakistan vs UAE
5 September – Afghanistan vs UAE
7 September – Final
