Overview

• Afghanistan confirmed a 17-player group with recalls for Ibrahim Zadran and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, the uncapped spinner AM Ghazanfar, and pace prospect Abdollah Ahmadzai, while Naveen-ul-Haq was left out.
• The Sharjah tri-series with Pakistan and the UAE starts Friday and features seven T20Is over 10 days, with each matchup played twice before a Sept. 7 final.
• Sharjah’s slow surfaces have historically rewarded spin, with Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman combining for 43 wickets at under six runs per over across 23 T20s at the venue.
• Pakistan continues to trial batting options under coach Mike Hesson, keeping Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan out of recent T20 selections while backing Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan and Mohammad Haris.
• The UAE refreshed its squad with four changes including uncapped batter Harshit Kaushik, as coach Lalchand Rajput talks up the team’s upset potential after a home series win against Bangladesh in May.