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UAE T20I Tri-Series 2025: Afghanistan vs Pakistan | Match 01 | August 29 | Sharjah | Pre-Match Discussion

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The Pakistan vs Afghanistan match on August 29, 2025, is the opening match of a T20I tri-series involving Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the UAE. The tri-series will be played at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium from August 29 to September 7, 2025.

Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE

The tri-series is a preparatory tournament for the Asian Cricket Council Men’s T20 Asia Cup scheduled in the UAE from September 9 to 28, 2025. Each team in the tri-series plays the others twice, and the top two teams advance to the final on September 7.

Pakistan’s squad includes key players like Salman Agha (captain), Shaheen Shah Afridi, Fakhar Zaman, and Hasan Ali, among others. Afghanistan will look to gain momentum in the series as they haven't had many recent T20Is.

The match promises to be competitive as both teams prepare for the important Asia Cup and upcoming ICC events.

The match will start at 7 PM local time, running in evening sessions at Sharjah Cricket Stadium—an exciting contest to watch for fans of both sides.
 
As Afghanistan are favorites, so Pakistan have a great chance to test young guns here before Asia cup. Sufiyan Muqeem needs real exposure
But I am sure Abrar is going to be preferred over him
 
Expect Pakistan to pound Afghanistan. I think normal service should resume now.
 
Should be a spicy contest.

Since it is Sharjah, I think Afghanistan are favorites. Sharjah tends to favor spinners.
 
Afghans are no joke in this format, and the Pakistan team is in shambles atm. We could see Afghanistan winning the whole thing...

Great game of cricket coming, I think.
 
Saim
Farhan
Fakhar
Haris
Salman
H Nawaz
M Nawaz
Shaheen
Haris
Hasan Ali/Wasim
Muqeem/Abrar

We l most likely see this. Top 6-7 is almost a no brainer but the bowling might see regular changes
 
Agha-Hesson duo is crushing this series/cup and the hype machines at PP will go crazy lol.

Genuinely want Agha to make the no 5 spot his own. Please no more intentful demotions. Up your SR game Agha.
 
Salman Mirza's media talk:
"The practice sessions are going really well. We have had one practice session, and after that, we played a match. So, to understand the whole situation and to get used to the environment, this is a very good opportunity for us and it will benefit us a lot.

I don’t consider myself an all-rounder at all. Yes, I can manage some batting, but I can’t call myself an all-rounder. Obviously, if the match comes down to me and I’m on the crease, then it’s my job to finish it. Although I couldn’t finish that practice match, it was still a good responsibility for me. If such a situation arises in real matches, then I should be able to handle it.

Agha bhai is a very positive person, very calm and composed. Even if he faces any difficulties, he doesn’t put pressure on anyone at that moment. Later, he discusses with you and sorts it out. The best thing is that it’s a young team going into the Asia Cup, and of course, every captain has to start from some event. So yes, this might be his first assignment, but we are fully hopeful of good results.

I don’t think it makes any difference. If such pressure games (Pak vs IND) come your way, that’s how you grow as a player. And it’s not just India — there are other opponents too, so we are preparing fully for them as well. Of course, the India match will be a big game, but our preparation is going really well, and god willing, you will see very good results.

The tri-nation will have some really good matches, it will be tough competition because those are home conditions for both teams. Afghanistan has played its home games here, and UAE, of course, is in its own home conditions. So, it will be a fantastic competition and everyone will get a full chance to prepare for the Asia Cup."
 
I have a feeling Pakistan is going to lose this match because Afghanistan is too good... especially on the slow wickets of Sharjah.
 
Since our current pacers are not penetrative enough + generally very expensive (notably Haris Rauf and Hassan Ali), it's better to play two spinners - Abrar and Sufiyan
 
Cricket Warrior said:
I have a feeling Pakistan is going to lose this match because Afghanistan is too good... especially on the slow wickets of Sharjah.
Click to expand...
Afghanistan is a decent LOI team and now that they have a good batting line-up to compliment their bowling attack, they look even better. It’s a seasoned team aswell compared to our boys.
 
sweep_shot said:
I think only Gurbaz. Rest seem more suited to ODI format.

Afghanistan's main strength is bowling (they have gun spinners and okay pacers).
Click to expand...
Gurbaz yes.

Omarzai isn’t too bad on his day

There improved T20 batters are Gulbuddin and Jannat.

Nabi can always add impact cameos. Same with RK but he is essentially a tailender.

It’s a team of impact cameos+ Gurbaz firing.
 
Rana said:
Gurbaz yes.

Omarzai isn’t too bad on his day

There improved T20 batters are Gulbuddin and Jannat.

Nabi can always add impact cameos. Same with RK but he is essentially a tailender.

It’s a team of impact cameos+ Gurbaz firing.
Click to expand...
In comparison I recon Pakistan have some proper batters

1. Sahibzada Farhan right now is better than all of Afghanistan and UAE batters. I’m sure of this

2. Saim is a player who can take the game away from you

3. Fakhar, you can never predict the big man.

4. Hassan Nawaz, brutal on his day.


Guys like Harris, Khushdil and Faheem are unpredictable
 
Rana said:
Gurbaz yes.

Omarzai isn’t too bad on his day

There improved T20 batters are Gulbuddin and Jannat.

Nabi can always add impact cameos. Same with RK but he is essentially a tailender.

It’s a team of impact cameos+ Gurbaz firing.
Click to expand...
Isn't that what t20 is though? A team of impact cameos + one star batsmen?
 
mominsaigol said:
Isn't that what t20 is though? A team of impact cameos + one star batsmen?
Click to expand...
It is but it’s a bit too many hit and miss strategy. It works for them as long as their spinners lock down. Najibullah is a bit more dependable but he hasn’t been the same for some years now.

Teams like Australia, India, NZ, SA and England have proper batters throughout.

Although Afghanistan have Zadran but he isn’t really a T20 bat
 
You always miss a player like Shahid Afridi against Afghanistan

My man never gave a flying manji about a spinner’s reputation!
 
I recon afghanistan will try to bowl aggressive pakistan under 120 and chase target with their odi suited batsmen. Better for pakistan is to chase so we play according to target instead of trying to go all out from ball one and risk losing wickets on sharjah pitch.
 
According to Google (AI) Pak Vs Afg T20I @Sharjah:

  • December 8, 2013: Pakistan won by 6 wickets.
  • September 7, 2022: Afghanistan won by 6 wickets.
  • March 24, 2023: Pakistan won by 1 wicket.
  • March 27, 2023: Pakistan won by 66 runs.
If this is correct and Pakistan does choose to have at least 2 regular spinners and 2 part-timers, Pakistan has a good chance. No Hasan Ali I hope - anyone but him. Naseem Shah is a must :P
 
My lineup:

1. Farhan
2. Saim
3. Fakhar
4. Salman
5. Hassan Nawaz
6. Mohammad Nawaz
7. M Harris
8. Khushdil
9. Shaheen
10. Salman Mirza
11. Sufyan
 
Rana said:
In comparison I recon Pakistan have some proper batters

1. Sahibzada Farhan right now is better than all of Afghanistan and UAE batters. I’m sure of this

2. Saim is a player who can take the game away from you

3. Fakhar, you can never predict the big man.

4. Hassan Nawaz, brutal on his day.


Guys like Harris, Khushdil and Faheem are unpredictable
Click to expand...

You mentioned 7 batters but not the skipper. Basically everybody buy Agha.
 
Obaidd said:
I don’t see why M Nawaz would be before M Haris and Khushdil in the order.
Click to expand...
You can swap these three according to situation. M Harris is weak against spin so I prefer him in last 4 overs. M Nawaz has a strong slog sweep which can be useful against Rashid Khan. Khushdil has also shown improvements against spin but he takes a little time to get going.
 
But we have witnessed some close Afghanistan vs Pakistan matches. Hoping tri-series will be competitive and heated too.
 
Strike rate is the problem for Afghanistan

Since jan 1, 2024

Top 3 strike rates

Pakistan 135
Srilanka 134
Afghanistan 124
Bangladesh 116


Top 7 strike rates

Pakistan 132
Srilanka 131
Afghanistan 122
Bangladesh 118
 
Saim
Sahibzada
Fakhar
Hassan Nawaz
Salman
M Haris
Khushdil
Faheem
Sufiyan
Abrar
Haris Rauf

Honestly, captain’s role in the batting order is the most difficult to determine. His SR limitations make him the odd one out.
I’ve kept him at 5 solely because I am tired of his demotions, he gotta own his spot.
 
Obaidd said:
Saim
Sahibzada
Fakhar
Hassan Nawaz
Salman
M Haris
Khushdil
Faheem
Sufiyan
Abrar
Haris Rauf

Honestly, captain’s role in the batting order is the most difficult to determine. His SR limitations make him the odd one out.
I’ve kept him at 5 solely because I am tired of his demotions, he gotta own his spot.
Click to expand...
Decent batting lineup but poor bowling unit, except a few greats
 
Dot ball % for season 2025

Khusdil 51%
Farhan 41%
Faheem 40%
Fakhar 39%
Agha Salman 37%
Hasan Nawaz 36%
Saim 32%
Haris 27%
 
jnaveen1980 said:
Strike rate is the problem for Afghanistan

Since jan 1, 2024

Top 3 strike rates

Pakistan 135
Srilanka 134
Afghanistan 124
Bangladesh 116


Top 7 strike rates

Pakistan 132
Srilanka 131
Afghanistan 122
Bangladesh 118
Click to expand...
They don't need high strike rate on sluggish Sharjah wickets. 130-140 runs will do
 
Obaidd said:
Saim
Sahibzada
Fakhar
Hassan Nawaz
Salman
M Haris
Khushdil
Faheem
Sufiyan
Abrar
Haris Rauf

Honestly, captain’s role in the batting order is the most difficult to determine. His SR limitations make him the odd one out.
I’ve kept him at 5 solely because I am tired of his demotions, he gotta own his spot.
Click to expand...
Bowling is weak. Only one of Faheem or Nawaz should play
 
RidiculousMan said:
They don't need high strike rate on sluggish Sharjah wickets. 130-140 runs will do
Click to expand...
That is overall strike rate. This might go down further on those wickets. THey have problem with strike rotation in T20 in direct contrast with their ODI approach where they take a lot of singles. Because of that they often collapse. Gurbaz for all his ability to play big shots has about 43% of dot balls in T20 international that includes his performance against minnows
 
Obaidd said:
Saim
Sahibzada
Fakhar
Hassan Nawaz
Salman
M Haris
Khushdil
Faheem
Sufiyan
Abrar
Haris Rauf

Honestly, captain’s role in the batting order is the most difficult to determine. His SR limitations make him the odd one out.
I’ve kept him at 5 solely because I am tired of his demotions, he gotta own his spot.
Click to expand...
Agha has to improve his sr. Right now, Abdul Sammad is a better option than him in middle order.
 
Greenstorm said:
Agha has to improve his sr. Right now, Abdul Sammad is a better option than him in middle order.
Click to expand...

I am okay to build around him for the next couple of years as long as he justifies his spot in the team. He doesn’t have to be great but at least very good with bat.

Right now some great posters give him an easy pass on his SR. I get that but I don’t dig that.

Also him demoting according to situation explanation is inadequate because he does it every other game. What’s his batting role? I have not seen anyone answer this.
 
Obaidd said:
I am okay to build around him for the next couple of years as long as he justifies his spot in the team. He doesn’t have to be great but at least very good with bat.

Right now some great posters give him an easy pass on his SR. I get that but I don’t dig that.

Also him demoting according to situation explanation is inadequate because he does it every other game. What’s his batting role? I have not seen anyone answer this.
Click to expand...
His role is trying to be less harmful rather than more useful. At some point he is going to hurt Pakistan in an important match.
 
Obaidd said:
Saim
Sahibzada
Fakhar
Hassan Nawaz
Salman
M Haris
Khushdil
Faheem
Sufiyan
Abrar
Haris Rauf

Honestly, captain’s role in the batting order is the most difficult to determine. His SR limitations make him the odd one out.
I’ve kept him at 5 solely because I am tired of his demotions, he gotta own his spot.
Click to expand...
Updated

Saim
Sahibzada
Fakhar
Hassan Nawaz
Salman
M Haris
Faheem
Shaheen
Haris Rauf
Sufiyan
Abrar
 
jnaveen1980 said:
His role is trying to be less harmful rather than more useful. At some point he is going to hurt Pakistan in an important match.
Click to expand...
No I don’t think so, he’s too good a chap to hurt his team. We have seen him putting teams’ requirements before his own batting spot.

However to do that every game ends up looking poor on him because that means he doesn’t know his role if he needs to change his position every other game.
 
jnaveen1980 said:
That is overall strike rate. This might go down further on those wickets. THey have problem with strike rotation in T20 in direct contrast with their ODI approach where they take a lot of singles. Because of that they often collapse. Gurbaz for all his ability to play big shots has about 43% of dot balls in T20 international that includes his performance against minnows
Click to expand...
I doubt their team can't score 130 on sluggish wickets
 
Pakistan need to think about playing 5 specialist bowlers . Trying to fill in with part timers is not working , the bowlers need to be able to bat a bit when required.
 
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