By our correspondent
SHARJAH: Cricket fans are in for an exciting showdown as Pakistan and Afghanistan gear up to clash in the opening match of the Tri-Nation T20 Series on Friday at the iconic Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
The United Arab Emirates is the third team participating in the tournament which serves as a crucial warm-up ahead of the upcoming Asia Cup scheduled from September 9 to 28 in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Pakistan is set to play its second match against the UAE on August 30, followed by a match with Afghanistan on September 2. Their final league match will be against the UAE on September 4, with the grand final of the series slated for September 7.
All matches are scheduled to begin at 8pm PST.
Pakistan’s captain, Agha Salman, expressed optimism ahead of the tournament, saying the series will offer valuable preparation for the Asia Cup. He added, “Leading Pakistan is both an honor and a responsibility. The team is in good form, and we hope to carry that momentum forward.”
Star batter Fakhar Zaman is just 51 runs away from completing 2,000 T20I runs which would make him only the fifth Pakistani player to reach this milestone after Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik.
Head to head: So far seven matches have been held between Pakistan and Afghanistan with the Green-shirts winning four matches with the Afghans securing victories in three. Sharjah has been a hunting ground for Pakistan as they have won six matches at this venue out of nine while lost just two and one ended in a tie.
At this venue Pakistan and Afghanistan have clashed each other five times with Pakistan winning three and Afghanistan returning victorious in two games.
Pakistan squad: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Fakhar Zaman, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Mohammad Haris (wicket-keeper), Hasan Nawaz, Khushdil Shah, Hussain Talat, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Sufiyan Muqeem, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Salman Mirza, Mohammad Wasim Junior.
