Junaid Siddique Returns as UAE Announce Squad for T20 Tri-Series Against Pakistan and Afghanistan

Junaid Siddique Returns as UAE Announce Squad for T20 Tri-Series Against Pakistan and Afghanistan

The UAE have named a 15-member squad for the upcoming T20I tri-series at home featuring Afghanistan and Pakistan, with medium pacer Junaid Siddique marking his return to the national setup. The tournament will be held in Sharjah from August 29 to September 7, and will serve as crucial preparation ahead of the T20 Asia Cup, which begins on September 9.

The squad sees four changes from the group that finished runners-up at the recent Pearl of Africa Cup in Uganda. Harshit Kaushik, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, and Siddique are the new inclusions, while Akif Raja, Matiullah Khan, and Zuhaib Zubair have been left out.

Kaushik, a 28-year-old left-handed middle-order batter and part-time left-arm spinner, is yet to make his international debut. The other three returnees bring prior experience with the national side. Siddique, 32, has played 59 ODIs and 71 T20Is, claiming 76 and 96 wickets respectively, and has featured in franchise leagues such as the ILT20 and Global T20 Canada.

Jawadullah, a 26-year-old left-arm quick, has 54 wickets in 33 T20Is and 11 wickets in 12 ODIs, while legspin-bowling allrounder Farooq, 32, has nine wickets from eight T20Is.

The squad will be led by regular captain Muhammad Waseem and includes familiar names such as Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma, and Rahul Chopra. Rising star Muhammad Zohaib, UAE's top batter during the Pearl of Africa Cup, retains his spot, as does allrounder Saghir Khan. The team continues under the guidance of head coach Lalchand Rajput, the former India opener.

UAE’s Fixtures for the T20I Tri-Series in Sharjah (7 PM local time):

  • Aug 29 – Afghanistan vs Pakistan

  • Aug 30 – UAE vs Pakistan

  • Sep 1 – UAE vs Afghanistan

  • Sep 2 – Afghanistan vs Pakistan

  • Sep 4 – UAE vs Pakistan

  • Sep 5 – UAE vs Afghanistan

  • Sep 7 – Final

The tri-series will be followed by the T20 Asia Cup, where UAE are grouped alongside India, Oman, and Pakistan. The squad for that tournament will be announced in due course.

UAE Squad for T20I Tri-Series:

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.