Afghanistan might be up towards Pakistan within the first match of the UAE T20I Tri Sequence. This article provides details about Pakistan’s Playing 11 vs Afghanistan for the first match of the series.
Pakistan Playing 11 vs Afghanistan- UAE T20I Tri Series 2025, Match 1:
Openers: Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman
Pakistan would like to put its best foot forward in an attempt to win the upcoming match against Afghanistan, which is a part of the tri-series involving the two teams and the UAE.
The series in question also provides a platform for both teams to assess where they stand in terms of their readiness for the 2025 Asia Cup, scheduled to be played next month.
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Pakistan has decided to retain the core that featured in the last two series against Bangladesh and West Indies, respectively, which means there is no place for Baar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan in the squad.
The Men in Green are expected to open the batting with Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub in the match against Afghanistan.
Fakhar, who returns after recovering from an injury that he sustained during the series against West Indies, will look to get things going in the first match itself.
Ayub, on the other hand, would also like to play a big innings, having shown glimpses of what he can do in the first six overs on various occasions
Middle-order batsmen and all-rounders: Mohammad Haris (wk), Hasan Nawaz, Salman Ali Agha (c), Faheem Ashraf, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Nawaz
Pakistan is expected to go into the match against Afghanistan with depth in the batting order, as the team management has been in favour of stretching the batting at least till number eight.
As a result, we can see a lot of all-rounders and part-time bowlers in the playing XI for the first match, including two fast bowling all-rounders in the form of Faheem Ashraf and Hussain Talat.
The presence of Mohammad Nawaz, the spin bowling all-rounder, will help the team achieve the goal of having depth in the batting order with Shaheen Afridi, who can also clear the boundary coming in to bat at number nine.
Having said that, responsibility will be on the top five batters to score the majority of the team’s runs.
Bowlers: Shaheen Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf
Pakistan might have six bowling options in the playing XI for the first match against Afghanistan, which has been the case in the matches that they have played in the recent past.
The six bowling options will include three all-rounders, Hussain Talat, Faheem Ashraf, and Mohammad Nawaz, with Nawaz being the spin bowling all-rounder.
The responsibility will be on the shoulders of Shaheen Afridi to pick wickets in the first six overs, and he is going to be one of the two specialist fast bowlers, the other one being Haris Rauf.
The team’s spin bowling arsenal will consist of Mohammad Nawaz, who will be the senior spinner, and will be partnered by Abrar Ahmed from the other end to complete the spin bowling duo.
