At the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah, Pakistan will play the United Arab Emirates in the fifth game of the current T20I Tri-Series 2025 on Thursday, September 4.
Match Preview:
Pakistan defeated Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates to start the tri-series on a good note. Their most recent games, nevertheless, have shown some middle order flaws. Their odds plummeted from 60/1 to 109/8 following a dismal 152 against Afghanistan, and only Haris Rauf’s final innings prevented them from collapsing completely.
Positively, they have the ability to seriously challenge the UAE bowlers because of their top order, which includes Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, and Sahibzada Farhan. Faheem Ashraf completes the team, while captain Salman Agha, Hassan Nawaz, and Muhammad Haris provide much-needed solidity in the midfield.
Pakistan excels when it comes to bowling. Their strength is highlighted by Hasan Ali’s seasoned experience, Shaheen Afridi’s aggressive style, and Faheem Ashraf’s outstanding 4 for 4 against Afghanistan. In Sharjah, spinners Sufiyan Muqeem and Muhammad Nawaz provide control on the sluggish surface.
The UAE had a difficult season. Their dependence on captain Muhammad Waseem at the top of the order was highlighted by their defeats to Pakistan and Afghanistan. Their expectations were briefly raised by his spectacular 67 runs off just 37 balls against Afghanistan, but after he was hurt, the remainder of the batting order found it difficult to maintain the momentum.
On the plus side, Rahul Chopra’s undefeated 52-run total demonstrated his capacity to steady the middle order and anchor the innings. Unfortunately, except for these two, there weren’t many other contributions. The lower middle order simply couldn’t find their groove, and Ethan D’Souza showed promise but was unable to turn it into a significant score.
However, it was difficult to control impressive batting performances due to the UAE’s inconsistent bowling assault. They will need Waseem and Chopra to perform well once more in order to turn the tables on Pakistan, and their seamers will need to remain composed in the face of a formidable top order.
Probable Playing XI:
Pakistan Playing XI
Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha (c), Mohammad Haris (wk), Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem.
United Arab Emirates Playing XI
Muhammad Waseem (c), Muhammad Zohaib, Ethan D’Souza, Rahul Chopra (wk), Asif Khan, Harshit Kaushik, Dhruv Parashar, Saghir Khan, Haider Ali, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Rohid.
Pitch and weather report:
The Sharjah Cricket Stadium has already hosted four games in the current tri-series. Intriguingly, the teams batting first have won all four games, and the average score for the first innings is about 187. For both teams, controlling wickets in the latter stages of the innings will be crucial, and the powerplay will be a crucial moment.
The temperature is set to reach a high of 39°C and a low of 32°C.
Head-to-head record:
Pakistan and UAE have met twice with the Green Shirt winning twice.
Where to watch:
MENA – Cricbuzz and Sportainment
Pakistan – A-Sports, Ten Sports and Tamasha.
Afghanistan – Lemar.tv
Bangladesh – tapmad and TSports
India – Fancode and Euro Sport
North America – Willow
UK – ARY
Africa – Supersports
RoW – Sports Central
