Muhammad Waseem has been handed the captaincy for the UAE’s two-match T20I series with Ireland in Dubai, a low-key yet handy warm-up before both sides head to India and Sri Lanka for the 2026 T20 World Cup.
The fixtures are set for Thursday 29 January (6.30 pm local) and Saturday 31 January (10.00 am), both at the ICC Academy. It is a brief window, but coaches on either side say they value time in the middle more than another net session. Ireland head coach Heinrich Malan put it simply earlier this week: “Nothing replaces game pressure.” UAE’s interim coach Mudassar Nazar echoed that view, noting the games should “answer a few selection questions we still have.”
UAE have still not named their World Cup 15, joining only the USA in holding out. Waseem, though, appears a lock for the final squad and is expected to open as well as lead. The provisional group below includes familiar faces—Junaid Siddique with the new ball, Basil Hameed in the middle overs—alongside three uncapped players in Harshit Kaushik, Muhammad Zohaib and Simranjeet Singh.
Ireland’s squad is already confirmed; they fly on to Colombo straight after Saturday’s match. All three of their group games—Sri Lanka (8 Feb), Australia (11 Feb) and Oman (14 Feb)—take place in the capital. UAE, drawn in Group D, open against New Zealand in Chennai on 10 February before moving to Delhi for Canada (13 Feb) and Afghanistan (16 Feb).
For the uninitiated, the 20-team tournament starts with four groups of five. Top two in each pool go through to the Super Eights, which then split into two further groups. The leading pair in both those sections reach the semi-finals.
UAE squad v Ireland
Muhammad Waseem (capt), Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma (wk), Basil Hameed, Haider Ali, Harshit Kaushik, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Arfan, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Zohaib, Rahul Chopra (wk), Rohid Khan, Sohaib Khan, Simranjeet Singh.
Two games, a few puzzles to solve, and a World Cup on the horizon—quietly important days for both camps.
