Afghanistan, Pakistan and UAE will be involved in a Tri-Series as preparation for the Asia Cup 2025.
The series is set to be played in a T20I format in Sharjah in August-September, which will precede the continental tournament.
Based on ICC‘s future tours programme, Pakistan were expected to host Afghanistan for three T20Is in the window that has now been allotted to the tri-series.
Each team will play other twice in the round-robin stage of the tournament, with the top two contesting the final.
Pakistan are the highest-ranked side among the three on the ICC rankings at No. 8 with Afghanistan at No.9 and UAE in No. 14.
The Men in Green are involved in a white-ball series of Pakistan tour of West Indies where they claimed a 14-run victory.
Meanwhile Afghanistan have not played a T20I since bilateral series in Zimbabwe at the end of the last year, and play their opening match of the Asia Cup, against Hong Kong on September 09.
Both the teams has qualified directly for the T20 World Cup in 2026 which is set to be played across India and Sri Lanka. UAE also arrive with a memorable T20I series win against Bangladesh in May.
Despite having not confirmed their spot at the World Cup, UAE has to go through Asia-East Asia and Pacific qualifiers, to be played in Oman from October 8 to 17 if they need to qualify for the main event.
ACB chairman Mr. Mirwais Ashraf said, “We are delighted to join this high-quality tri-nation contest and extend our sincere appreciation to the Emirates Cricket Board for their generous initiative in organizing the series.”
“Sharjah holds a special place in cricket history, and we are confident this tournament will offer excellent match exposure for all participating teams ahead of the Asia Cup.”
Meanwhile, ACB CEO Mr. Naseeb Khan added, “This series comes at a crucial time in our calendar, and we are looking forward to giving our players the opportunity to face strong opponents in competitive conditions.”
“We thank our friends at the Emirates Cricket Board for their hospitality and collaboration. This tournament will serve as a valuable build-up to the challenges of the Asia Cup and beyond,” ACB CEO Mr. Naseeb Khan concluded.
