Trophy unveiled in Sharjah as Afghanistan face Pakistan in UAE tri-series opener
T20 showdown gives all teams crucial preparation before Asia Cup
DUBAI – The trophy for the T20 International tri-series involving Afghanistan, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was unveiled at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Thursday.
Captains Rashid Khan, Salman Ali Agha and Muhammad Waseem attended the ceremony, setting the stage for the week-long event.
The series begins on Friday, with Afghanistan meeting Pakistan in the opening fixture at 7pm local time. Each team will face the others twice in a round-robin format, ensuring a minimum of four matches before the top two sides qualify for the final on 7 September.
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— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) August 28, 2025
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This tri-series serves as a crucial warm-up ahead of the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup, which runs from 9 to 28 September in the UAE. Initially planned as a bilateral contest between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Pakistan Cricket Board later proposed converting it into a three-team competition to help players acclimatise to conditions.
Afghanistan’s approach
Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan, whose team reached the T20 World Cup semi-finals last year and impressed at the ODI Champions Trophy earlier this year, stressed that his squad are not placing pressure on themselves with specific goals.
“We do not have specific targets, and we do not want to put extra pressure on our players,” Rashid said. “Our main aim is to give 200 per cent effort and keep playing the brand of cricket we have developed.”
Afghanistan will be fielding a strong spin attack with Rashid, Mohammad Nabi, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb ur Rahman and rising mystery spinner AM Ghazanfar, while pacer Abdollah Ahmadzai joins the squad in place of Naveen-ul-Haq. Ibrahim Zadran also returns to the line-up, adding depth to the batting.
Pakistan’s transition
Pakistan, meanwhile, are undergoing a transition under new captain Salman Agha. With former skippers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan excluded from the squad, the team features a blend of experienced players including Shaheen Afridi and Fakhar Zaman alongside emerging names such as Saim Ayub and Hasan Nawaz.
Salman Agha said the tri-series and Asia Cup will be vital in shaping Pakistan’s line-up for the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. “We are trying to build a team and these events will be a good opportunity to achieve that,” he noted.
UAE tri-series fixtures
- 29 August – Afghanistan v Pakistan – 7pm
- 30 August – UAE v Pakistan – 7pm
- 1 September – UAE v Afghanistan – 7pm
- 2 September – Pakistan v Afghanistan – 7pm
- 4 September – Pakistan v UAE – 7pm
- 5 September – Afghanistan v UAE – 7pm
- 7 September – Final – 7pm