All-rounder Dhruv Parashar and opener Mayank Kumar have forced their way back into the United Arab Emirates’ 15-man party for the Men’s T20 World Cup, edging out Basil Hameed and Rahul Chopra after the ongoing two-match series against Ireland.
Captain Muhammad Waseem, Alishan Sharafu and seamer Junaid Siddique are the only survivors from the UAE line-up that appeared at the last global tournament in 2022. Waseem already holds national records for most T20I runs (92 caps, 2,807 runs) while Siddique remains the country’s leading wicket-taker in the format.
Head coach Lalchand Rajput said in a board release: “We wanted an aggressive middle-order option and an additional top-order player who can handle spin early on. Dhruv and Mayank tick both boxes, and they’ve shown they can perform under pressure.”
Parashar, 21, boasts 32 international T20 appearances and famously shared a half-century stand that briefly unsettled Pakistan at last year’s Asia Cup. Mayank, 28, made his debut during the Asia and East-Asia-Pacific qualifier and impressed again at the Rising Stars T20 Asia Cup in November.
Hameed and Chopra were omitted after single-digit scores in Thursday’s defeat to Ireland in Dubai, Hameed conceding 28 runs in two overs with the ball. Rajput stressed, however, that the door remains open. “Selection is about timing,” he noted. “They’ll stay on the radar.”
The UAE have been drawn in Group D alongside Afghanistan, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. They warm up in Chennai against Nepal (3 February) and Italy (6 February) before opening their campaign there against New Zealand on 10 February. Fixtures against Canada (Delhi, 13 February), Afghanistan (Delhi, 16 February) and South Africa (Delhi, 18 February) complete the group stage.
Former Pakistan fast bowler Yasir Arafat joins as bowling coach. “The attack is young but skilful,” he said. “If we hit our lengths early, we can unsettle bigger sides.” Zimbabwean Stanley Chioza continues as fielding coach.
Waseem welcomed the appointments: “Experience in the back-room gives the boys confidence. Now it’s up to us to translate that on the park.”
UAE squad: Muhammad Waseem (capt), Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma (wk), Dhruv Parashar, Haider Ali, Harshit Kaushik, Junaid Siddique, Mayank Kumar, Muhammad Arfan, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Zohaib, Rohid Khan, Sohaib Khan, Simranjeet Singh.
