The United Arab Emirates T20I Tri-Series continues at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium with Pakistan facing off against the UAE in the 5th T20I of the tournament. Pakistan made a strong start to their campaign, recording back-to-back wins against the UAE and Afghanistan. However, their momentum was halted in the last match when they went down to their arch-rivals, Afghanistan. The Men in Green will now be eager to regroup quickly, put that setback behind them, and return to winning ways in this crucial encounter.

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Meanwhile, the UAE finds itself under pressure, still searching for its first victory of the series. The hosts have suffered defeats in both of their outings so far, struggling to match the intensity of their opponents. Facing a formidable Pakistan unit once again presents a huge challenge, but it also gives UAE another chance to prove their resilience. They will need both their batters and bowlers to click collectively if they are to cause an upset against Pakistan.

United Arab Emirates vs Pakistan, Match 5: Live Streaming Details

United Arab Emirates vs Pakistan, Match 5: Probable Playing XI

Pakistan (Probable Playing XI):

Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha(c), Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Haris(w), Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Sufiyan Muqeem

United Arab Emirates (Probable Playing XI):

Muhammad Zohaib, Muhammad Waseem(c), Asif Khan, Rahul Chopra(w), Ethan DSouza, Harshit Kaushik, Dhruv Parashar, Saghir Khan, Haider Ali, Muhammad Rohid Khan, Junaid Siddique

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will meet Afghanistan (AFG) in Match 3 of the UAE T20I Tri-Series 2025 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Monday, September 1. Both teams enter the contest after losing their respective games against Pakistan. The UAE displayed some promise with the bat but struggled with their bowling, which cost them control of the match. With home crowd support on their side, the hosts will be eager to bounce back, secure their first win, and gain momentum in the tournament.

Afghanistan, on the other hand, showed moments of competitiveness in their opening fixture but lacked stability in their batting lineup. Their inability to find a batter who could hold the innings together proved costly in the chase. As they prepare to face the hosts, the Imran Tahir-led side will aim to address their shortcomings, especially in building partnerships. A win here is crucial for Afghanistan to regain confidence and remain strong contenders in the series.

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United Arab Emirates vs Afghanistan, Match 3: Live Streaming Details

United Arab Emirates vs Afghanistan, Match 3: Probable Playing XI

United Arab Emirates:

Muhammad Zohaib, Muhammad Waseem (c), Asif Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Rahul Chopra (wk), Ethan DSouza, Dhruv Parashar, Saghir Khan, Haider Ali, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Jawadullah

Afghanistan:

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan (c), Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad Malik

Pakistan and Afghanistan are set to clash in the fourth match of the UAE T20I Tri-Series 2025 on Tuesday, September 2, at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Pakistan have started the tournament on a dominant note, registering back-to-back wins to secure the top position on the points table. Their earlier victory against Afghanistan by 39 runs in the series opener highlighted their strong form. With momentum firmly on their side, Pakistan will aim to deliver another commanding performance to confirm their berth in the tournament final.

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Afghanistan, meanwhile, find themselves in a challenging position after losing their opening encounter. With limited time to recover, they face the tough task of playing two games within 24 hours. This makes their path to the final far more difficult, requiring them to secure consecutive victories to keep their hopes alive. To compete effectively against a confident Pakistan side, Afghanistan will need both discipline and resilience in all departments of the game.

Pakistan vs Afghanistan, Match 4: Live Streaming Details

Pakistan vs Afghanistan, Match 4: Probable Playing XI

Pakistan (Playing XI):

Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha (c), Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Haris (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Salman Mirza, Sufiyan Muqeem

Afghanistan (Playing XI):

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan (c), Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad Malik

Pakistan defeated Afghanistan by 39 runs in the opening T20I of the UAE Tri-Series 2025. After opting to bat, Pakistan posted 182/7 in their 20 overs, led by captain Salman Agha’s unbeaten 53. Supporting contributions came from Fakhar Zaman (20), Mohammad Nawaz (21), and Mohammad Haris (15). Despite some breakthroughs by Fareed Ahmad, who picked up three wickets, Afghanistan’s bowlers failed to stop Pakistan’s late flourish, conceding boundaries in the death overs as the batting lineup ensured a strong target on the board.

PAK vs AFG: Pakistan Batting Performance

The innings began aggressively with Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub playing attacking strokes, but both departed during the powerplay. Fakhar Zaman provided momentum before being dismissed by Mohammad Nabi. The middle overs were anchored by Salman Agha, who played a captain’s knock with precision and power, striking three fours and three sixes. Nawaz and Faheem Ashraf chipped in late to boost the total past 180. Afghanistan’s bowlers struggled for consistency, with Fareed Ahmad’s three wickets overshadowed by his expensive economy rate of nearly 12.

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PAK vs AFG: Afghanistan’s Chase

Chasing 183, Afghanistan got off to a positive start with Rahmanullah Gurbaz hitting 38 off 27 balls. However, Shaheen Afridi struck early to dismiss Ibrahim Zadran, shifting momentum. Sediqullah Atal (23) and Darwish Rasooli (21) tried to rebuild, but a sudden collapse saw Afghanistan slide from 93/3 to 97/6. Azmatullah Omarzai and Karim Janat fell without impact, leaving the side struggling. Pakistan’s bowlers maintained pressure with consistent breakthroughs, not allowing partnerships to develop, and ensured the chase kept slipping further out of Afghanistan’s grasp.

PAK vs AFG: Rashid Khan’s Effort

Skipper Rashid Khan gave Afghanistan a glimmer of hope with a counterattacking 39 off just 16 balls, smashing four boundaries and three sixes. His fearless hitting kept Afghanistan alive momentarily, but wickets falling at the other end denied any real partnership. Once Rashid was dismissed in the 18th over, the chase fizzled out. Mujeeb (4) and Fareed Ahmad (16) tried to hang in, but the run rate was beyond reach. Afghanistan were bowled out for 143 in 19.5 overs, falling well short of the target.

PAK vs AFG: Bowling Highlights and Result

Pakistan’s bowlers delivered a collective masterclass. Haris Rauf starred with figures of 4/31, dismantling Afghanistan’s middle and lower order. Shaheen Afridi took 2/20, striking early and late, while Mohammad Nawaz dismissed Gurbaz and Omarzai with his controlled spin. Youngster Sufiyan Muqeem also impressed, claiming 2/25 with clever variations. Their disciplined attack left Afghanistan’s batters with no answers. Pakistan’s 39-run win gave them a confident start in the tri-series, underlining their balance in batting and bowling, while Afghanistan must reassess their middle-order fragility before the next match.

The 2025 UAE T20I Tri-Series kicked off with a bang as Pakistan clashed with Afghanistan in the opening match at the Sharjah Cricket Ground on Friday. In the toss update, Pakistan captain Salman Agha called correctly and chose to bat first, allowing his youthful side to test their batting powers against Afghanistan's established spin unit. 

For Pakistan, the tri-series has extra importance since it is their last rehearsal before the Asia Cup in 2025. The team has been in a state of transition since the last T20 World Cup and was trying out some new players, new combinations, and new strategies. Choosing to bat first indicates they want to put runs on the board and make Afghanistan chase under lights on a pitch that usually favours spin.

Rashid Khan backs spin attack as Afghanistan eye strong start in UAE Tri-Series ahead of Asia Cup 2025

Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan was pleased to bowl first, trusting in the team's ability with their spin-heavy arsenal to enforce pressure during the middle overs. Knowing they have beaten Pakistan in three of their last four T20I matches, Afghanistan will be confident with their record.

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The tri-series between Afghanistan and Pakistan, along with the hosts U.A.E. will take place from August 29 - September 5, following a double round-robin format where the top two teams will advance to the finals on September 7; this will be a great opportunity for both teams to hone their skills ahead of the Asia Cup starting just two days after the final of this series.

Playing XIs

Pakistan XI: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha (c), Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Haris (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Sufiyan Muqeem.

Afghanistan XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan (c), Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad.