Pakistan, Afghanistan, UAE set to play T20 tri-series in Sharjah before the start of the Asia Cup in September.
Pakistan, Afghanistan and UAE to play T20I tri-series in Sharjah ahead of Asia Cup.
When Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the UAE play in a T20 tri-series hosted by the Emirates Cricket Board in Sharjah in August and September, they will have additional games to get ready for the men’s T20 Asia Cup.
In the UAE, the Asia Cup will take place from September 9 to September 28.
Therefore, Pakistan was supposed to host Afghanistan for three Twenty20 Internationals during the window presently designated for the tri-series, according to the ICC’s prospective tour schedule.
In the tournament’s round-robin phase, each team will face the other twice, with the top two teams competing in the final. Every game will start at 7:00 p.m. local time. Of the three teams, Pakistan is placed No. 8 in the ICC rankings, followed by Afghanistan at No. 9 and the United Arab Emirates at No. 14.
Pakistan will playing its first Asia Cup match against Oman on September 12 after winning the first game of a bilateral white-ball series against the West Indies. Afghanistan will play their Asia Cup opener against Hong Kong on September 9; they haven’t played a Twenty20 International since their bilateral series in Zimbabwe at the end of last year.
Based on their rankings on the ICC table at the June 30, 2024, cutoff date, Afghanistan was among the top seven teams (apart from the hosts) in the previous T20 World Cup, and Pakistan qualified straight for the 2026 T20 World Cup, which will be played in India and Sri Lanka. The United Arab Emirates is yet to announce their attendance at the World Cup. To go there, if they can, they must pass the Asia-East Asia and Pacific qualifiers, which will take place in Oman from October 8–17.