Afghanistan Win Toss, Opt to Bat First Against UAE in Sharjah Tri-Series Clash

SHARJAH - UAE lost the toss and Afghanistan chose to bat first in the sixth of the tri-series of T20I matches that is being hosted in the legendary Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday. The game itself is a massive one since both players are looking to work on their tactics prior to the next ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup, which will begin on September 9.

Playing XIs:

• Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran (c), Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Noor Ahmad, Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mohammad Ishaq, Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Abdullah Ahmadzai
   
• UAE: Muhammad Waseem (c), Muhammad Zohaib, Asif Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Rahul Chopra (wk), Harshit Kaushik, Haider Ali, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Rohid, Junaid Siddique, Simranjeet Singh

Afghanistan will look for a strong start through Rahmanullah Gurbaz and captain Ibrahim Zadran, with Karim Janat and Azmatullah Omarzai boosting the middle order. Spinners Noor Ahmad and Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman are expected to play a key role in Sharjah conditions.

For the UAE, skipper Muhammad Waseem leads the charge with support from Asif Khan and Alishan Sharafu, while bowlers Junaid Siddique and Simranjeet Singh aim to contain Afghanistan’s batting strength.

Head-to-Head Record:

The head-to-head is dominated by Afghanistan with 10 wins in 13 T20Is, compared with three wins by the UAE. This is the tri-series that is pre-Asia Cup practice, and Afghanistan is banking on the benefits of their high batting and spin attack, as the UAE is looking to use home conditions to their advantage.