-
-
Pakistan will kick off their preparations for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025 with a tri-nation T20I series against Afghanistan and the UAE, scheduled from August 29 to September 7 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Pakistan’s campaign begins against Afghanistan at 7:00 PM local time on August 29. Each team will play the others twice, and the top two sides will face off 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.
Afghanistan Preliminary Squad:
Rashid Khan (C), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Sediqullah Atal, Wafiullah Tarakhil, Ibrahim Zadran, Darwish Rasooli, Mohammad Ishaq, Mohammad Nabi, Nangyal Kharoti, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mujeeb Zadran, A.M. Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Farid Malik, Saleem Safi, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Bashir Ahmad.
UAE Squad:
TBA
Notably, former captains Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have been left out once again, continuing their absence from Pakistan’s T20I squad.
Both were also dropped for the T20I series against West Indies earlier this month, which Pakistan lost 2-1.
Chief Selector Aqib Javed clarified that the duo is not out of contention permanently:
“We are not saying Babar and Rizwan will never return to the T20 squad. Whoever performs will be considered. We have discussed improvements with them.”
Head-to-Head Records:
Pakistan vs Afghanistan (T20Is): 7 matches – Pakistan 4 wins, Afghanistan 3 wins.
Pakistan vs UAE (T20Is): 1 match – Pakistan 1 win, UAE 0 wins.
After the tri-series, Pakistan will participate in the Asia Cup from September 9-28, featuring eight teams. Pakistan are drawn in Group A alongside Oman, India, and the UAE.
Lowest Score at Sharjah Stadium:
The highest score at Sharjah Stadium is 216/5 by Afghanistan against Zimbabwe, while Pakistan’s highest is 193/2 against Hong Kong. The lowest score at the venue is 38 by Hong Kong versus Pakistan, and Pakistan’s lowest is 92/9 against Afghanistan.
Tri-series schedule (all matches at Sharjah Cricket Stadium):
- 29 August – Afghanistan v Pakistan – 8 pm local Pakistan time
- 30 August – UAE v Pakistan – 8 pm local Pakistan time
- 1 September – UAE v Afghanistan – 8 pm local Pakistan time
- 2 September – Pakistan v Afghanistan – 8 pm local Pakistan time
- 4 September – Pakistan v UAE – 8 pm local Pakistan time
- 5 September – Afghanistan v UAE – 8 pm local Pakistan time
- 7 September – Final – 8 pm local Pakistan time
Where to Watch:
The match will be live broadcast on PTV Sports, Tamasha, and Tapmad.
