Group fixtures
vs New Zealand in Chennai, February 10
vs Canada in Delhi, February 13
vs Afghanistan in Delhi, February 16
vs South Africa in Delhi, February 18
Big picture: Can UAE spring a surprise?
UAE are back at the T20 World Cup for only the third time in their history. They missed the bus in 2024, but ensured they took the final slot for this edition and will now want to make a few Full Members nervous at the 20-team tournament.
UAE have won just one of their six games at the T20 World Cup, and have never managed to make it past the group stage. But they’ve caused some flutters against big teams of late. They claimed a historic 2-1 series win over Bangladesh last May, ran Afghanistan desperately close in a T20I tri-series, and gave Pakistan a scare at the Asia Cup.
Placed in Group D alongside Afghanistan, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa, UAE have a chance of causing a few upsets. They should fancy their chances against Canada, have beaten Afghanistan in the past, and have spinners who could potentially trouble the likes of South Africa and New Zealand.
One thing UAE lack is the experience of playing big tournaments. Only three players in their 15-member squad were part of the 2022 T20 World Cup and those three – Muhammad Waseem, Alishan Sharafu and Junaid Siddique – will have to lead the way.
Recent form
UAE were blanked 2-0 by Ireland in a two-match series in Dubai in the last week of January. Prior to that, they played the Asia & EAP Qualifier, finishing third on the Super Six table. A number of the UAE players were also part of the ILT20 in December-January.
Players to watch: Muhammad Waseem and Haider Ali
UAE captain Muhammad Waseem is inarguably the most important batter in their squad and has shown incredible consistency over the last few years. He is UAE’s highest run-scorer in T20Is with 3236 runs in 93 innings at a strike rate of 150.79. His tally is nearly double that of the next batter, Sharafu, who has 1671 runs in 61 innings. Waseem was the second-highest run-scorer at the ILT20 and was also in excellent nick in the Bangladesh Premier League.
Spin could play a big role on the pitches in Delhi and Chennai, and Haider Ali could be a handy operator with his left-arm orthodox. He played a key role in helping UAE win their series against Bangladesh last year and has been in excellent form over the last 12 months. Since the start of 2025, he has picked up 33 wickets, the most by any UAE bowler, at an average of 15.72 and a stellar economy rate of 5.83. Haider also had a good run at the ILT20, picking up ten wickets in 11 matches and going at less than a run a ball.
Last hurrah?
Fast bowler Junaid Siddique is UAE’s highest wicket-taker in T20Is, with 117 at 20.64. He is the only UAE bowler to breach the 100-wicket mark, but, at 33, could be playing his last World Cup. He has been a regular part of the UAE side since he made his debut for them in 2019 and has led the fast-bowling unit for close to seven years. This could be the last World Cup for 36-year-old left-arm spinner Simranjeet Singh as well.
Best XI
1 Aryansh Sharma (wk), 2 Muhammad Waseem (capt), 3 Muhammad Zohaib, 4 Alishan Sharafu, 5 Harshit Kaushik, 6 Mayank Kumar, 7 Dhruv Parashar, 8 Muhammad Arfan, 9 Haider Ali, 10 Junaid Siddique, 11 Muhammad Jawadullah
Rest of the squad: Muhammad Rohid, Simranjeet Singh, Sohaib Khan, Muhammad Farooq
