Muhammad Waseem will again captain the UAE in next week’s triangular Twenty20 series against Afghanistan and Pakistan, with four changes to the group that finished runners-up at the recent Pearl of Africa Cup in Uganda.
Selectors have recalled the experienced seamer Junaid Siddique, left-arm quick Muhammad Jawadullah and leg-spinning all-rounder Muhammad Farooq, while uncapped batter-spinner Harshit Kaushik earns a first call-up. Akif Raja, Matiullah Khan and Zuhaib Zubair drop out, trimming the pace department but adding a second frontline wrist-spinner.
“We want to look at a couple of combinations before the Asia Cup,” head coach Lalchand Rajput said in the board’s announcement. “The tri-series is a handy dress rehearsal and the opposition could not be tougher.”
The series, staged entirely in Sharjah from 29 August to 7 September, lines up this way:
29 Aug – Afghanistan v Pakistan
30 Aug – UAE v Pakistan
1 Sep – UAE v Afghanistan
2 Sep – Afghanistan v Pakistan
4 Sep – UAE v Pakistan
5 Sep – UAE v Afghanistan
7 Sep – Final (top two)
All matches start at 7 pm local time.
Why the changes?
Siddique, 32, has 155 international wickets and a reputation for straight-up new-ball accuracy. His last UAE appearance came in April and, by his own admission, he “didn’t expect the recall this soon”, adding: “I’ve kept bowling in the ILT20 and feel in decent rhythm.”
Jawadullah, 26, offers left-arm angle and the ability to hit the block-hole at the death – skills the coaching group felt were missing in Entebbe. Farooq, 32, strengthens the spin-all-rounder bracket alongside Dhruv Parashar.
New face Kaushik, 28, is a left-hander who can clear mid-wicket but also knuckle down at No. 5 or 6. “Harshit has been consistent in domestic cricket and gives us flexibility,” Rajput said.
Key names retained
Waseem continues as captain-opener, supported by top-order partner Alishan Sharafu and teenage keeper-batter Aryansh Sharma. Middle-order strokemaker Muhammad Zohaib – UAE’s leading run-scorer in Uganda – keeps his spot, as do seam-bowling all-rounder Rohid Khan and off-spinner Saghir Khan.
The bigger picture
The tri-series feeds straight into the men’s Asia Cup, also in the Emirates from 9 September. UAE share Group A with India, Pakistan and Oman, a daunting assignment. “Playing Pakistan twice inside a week and Afghanistan’s spin attack will harden us up,” Waseem said. “Sharjah is home territory, but we have to earn the right to use that advantage.”
Squad at a glance
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
uncapped
Selection talking points
• Experience v youth: five players have 50-plus T20Is; three have fewer than ten.
• Spin depth: off-spin (Parashar, Saghir), leg-spin (Farooq) and a part-time left-arm option in Kaushik.
• Death bowling: Jawadullah’s yorkers and Siddique’s cutters aim to solve the late-overs leak that cost UAE the Ugandan final.
Former UAE coach Aaqib Javed, speaking on local radio, called the mix “sensible”. “They have resisted wholesale changes, which is wise so close to a major event,” he said.
Room for improvement
Batting collapses haunted the side in Entebbe. Rajput wants greater strike rotation: “Boundaries are fine, but 120 balls need 120 bits of intent.” The staff have also stressed sharper fielding, with extended night sessions scheduled at Sharjah in 38-degree heat.
What next?
The Asia Cup squad will be confirmed once the tri-series ends. Fitness permitting, the same fifteen are likely to be retained, though a second left-arm spinner could come into the frame if conditions stay dry and slow.
For now, the focus is on Pakistan on opening night. As Siddique summed up: “Nothing better than bowling under lights at Sharjah. Time to get to work.”
