United Arab Emirates T20I Tri-Series 2025 , Match 5: Pakistan vs UAE, Toss update and Playing XI

A crucial match for Pakistan after a stinging defeat against Afghanistan. Today (September 4, 2025), Salman Ali Agha and his boys are ready to face the United Arab Emirates at the iconic Sharjah Cricket Stadium. The UAE cricket team proved to be the most vulnerable of the ongoing Tri-Nation T20I series. On the other side, Pakistan, despite sustaining a setback against Afghanistan, is still on top of the table.

Toss update:

Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha won the toss and elected to bat first. In their previous match, which was against Afghanistan, Pakistan fell short by 18 runs when they were chasing a competitive total. Pakistan's bowling department did well; it was their batting that led them down. Though batting first on the seemingly slow surface of Sharjah Cricket Stadium can be tricky for them. For the UAE, they have nothing to lose. They can try to deposit it all to gain the maximum result.

The first few overs of the first innings are going to be very crucial for both Pakistan and UAE, mostly because of the nature of the wicket. Batters may have to face a different, possibly trickier situation after the ball loses its shine. And during the second innings, spinners or slow bowlers may have to take the center of the stage. Interestingly, batting second team faces more difficulties than the batting first team. In all four games so far, with the average second-inning total hovering just north of 150, hinting that batting first has offered the upper hand.

Playing XIs:

United Arab Emirates—Muhammad Waseem (C), Alishan Sharafu, Ethan D'Souza, Rahul Chopra (WK), Asif Khan, Harshit Kaushik, Dhruv Parashar, Haider Ali, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Rohid, and Junaid Siddique.

Pakistan—Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub (C), Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Haris (WK), Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Salman Mirza, and Abrar Ahmed.