The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) revealed a 17-man roster on Sunday, August 17, for the upcoming Sharjah tri-series and the Asia Cup that follows. Salman Ali Agha, who recently led the Men in Green to a 2-1 victory in a three-match T20I series against the West Indies in the Caribbean, will remain in charge of the team.
It’s interesting that Babar Azam and Muhammad Rizwan, who have experience together, were not called up. Since the series against South Africa in December 2024, neither of them has played for Pakistan in Twenty20 international cricket.
The blend of youth and experience in Pakistan’s team is excellent. Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan, two young players, will form an aggressive opening duo, while Hasan Nawaz, who is currently playing well, will be a guy to keep an eye on in the middle order.
With players like Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, and Shaheen Shah Afridi in the mix, the seam-bowling department has a wealth of expertise. With their bowling prowess, Mohammad Nawaz, Sufyan Moqim, and Abrar Ahmed are anticipated to be crucial on UAE pitches that may favour spin bowling.
Pakistan will travel to Sharjah to play Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates in a tri-series from August 29 to September 7 in advance of the Asia Cup, which will be played in the T20 format. The Sharjah Cricket Stadium will host all of the games.
Following the tri-series, Pakistan will play Oman at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on September 12 to start their Asia Cup campaign.
Pakistan’s upcoming match against bitter rivals India at the same location on September 14 is sure to be a big one. On September 17, the two-time champions will play the United Arab Emirates to round out their group-stage campaign.
Salman Ali (C), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (WK), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Waseem Jr., Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim, and the Pakistani team for the Asia Cup and tri-series tournament
India
