The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is gearing up to host a seven-match T20I tri-series featuring Pakistan and Afghanistan, starting August 29 at the iconic Sharjah Cricket Stadium. All games will be played under lights at 7:00 PM local time, with the grand finale set for September 7. This tri-series will serve as crucial preparation for all three participating nations ahead of the Asia Cup 2025, which begins just two days after the final.
The tournament will kick off with Pakistan facing Afghanistan. Pakistan currently leads their T20I series 1-0 on their ongoing limited-overs tour of the West Indies, which includes three T20Is and three ODIs. However, they will be aiming to bounce back from their disappointing 1-2 T20I series loss to Bangladesh earlier this year.
T20I: Tri-Series to Boost Teams Before High-Stakes Asia Cup 2025
Afghanistan, meanwhile, hasn’t played any international cricket since their appearance in the 2025 Champions Trophy. The upcoming tri-series offers them a vital opportunity to regain momentum before their Asia Cup opener against Hong Kong.
Hosts UAE enter the competition on a high, having stunned Bangladesh 2-1 in a T20I series on home soil in May. That victory has given them added confidence and local support heading into this high-profile tri-nation series.
“𝑾𝒆’𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒓𝒊-𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑨𝒔𝒊𝒂 𝑪𝒖𝒑,”
A UAE Cricket Board spokesperson was quoted as saying.
The Asia Cup 2025 begins September 9 and will, for the first time, include eight teams, all competing in the T20 format. This edition is seen as a key step toward the 2026 T20 World Cup, to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
Group A of the Asia Cup features India, Pakistan, Oman, and the UAE, while Group B includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Hong Kong. The top two from each group will qualify for the Super 4s, followed by a final between the top two sides on September 28.
“𝑾𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒈𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑨𝒔𝒊𝒂 𝑪𝒖𝒑,” 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒂 𝑷𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍. “𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒊-𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒅𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒉 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒉𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒎 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒂 𝒃𝒖𝒔𝒚 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒓.”
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