Arrival of Pakistan's Team in UAE for Asia Cup and Tri-Nation Series
After a recent setback, the Pakistan T20 team is preparing for a comeback in Dubai, with Mike Hesson returning as coach and Salman Agha leading as captain. The team is gearing up for the Asia Cup 2025 and a tri-series in the UAE, having been together since May 2025 under Hesson's leadership.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced contracts, but Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have been downgraded to B-category contracts. However, their absence from the T20 squad has not been explicitly mentioned.
The squad, which will assemble on Wednesday and start preparations at the ICC Academy on Thursday, includes Salman Agha (captain), Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Sahibzada Farhan, Hasan Nawaz, Salman Mirza, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hussain Talat, Sufiyan Muqeem, Abrar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Faheem Ashraf, and Mohammad Wasim.
Fast bowlers Mohammad Wasim and Salman Mirza, and opener Fakhar Zaman return to the squad after missing the recent ODI series against West Indies due to injury. The team's comeback is aimed at bouncing back after a heavy defeat in the third ODI against the West Indies in Trinidad, where they were bowled out for 92 chasing 294, resulting in a historic 2-1 series win for the West Indies - their first bilateral ODI triumph over Pakistan since 1991.
Jayden Seales starred with six wickets, while Shai Hope struck an unbeaten 120 in the third ODI. The nature of the recent setback has not been specified.
There is a debate about Fakhar Zaman's return to the T20 squad following his injury, and the coach has not clarified Babar Azam's wicketkeeper role in the T20 squad. The PCB has scrapped the top A-category central contracts for the first time in 21 years, with Azam and Rizwan, along with key players including Salman Agha, Fakhar Zaman, Abrar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, and Shaheen Shah Afridi, being demoted to B-category contracts.
The tri-series and Asia Cup matches will take place in Dubai and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Pakistan will open their Asia Cup Group A campaign against Oman on September 12 in Dubai, before facing India on September 14. The tri-series against Afghanistan and hosts UAE starts on August 29 at Sharjah Stadium, with the final on September 7. The team will have practice games at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium and training sessions at ICC Academy before the series.
