Sharjah gears up to host Pakistan and Afghanistan in T20 Tri-Series

UAE will host Pakistan and Afghanistan in a seven-match T20I Tri-Series at the historic Sharjah Cricket Stadium from Aug. 29. The three teams will play each other twice in the six-match group stage. The top two teams will then compete in the Sept. 7 final.

Afghanistan will take on Pakistan in the tournament opener Aug.29). UAE will play Pakistan on Aug. 30 followed by Afghanistan’s clash against UAE on Sept. 1 and their second group-stage match against Pakistan on Sept. 2.

Pakistan and UAE’s second group-stage match will be played on Sept. 4 followed by the Afghanistan-UAE match on Sept. 5.

The tournament will provide the ideal preparation opportunity to the three teams ahead of the eight-team ACC Asia Cup 2025 which will be played in the UAE from Sept. 9.

India and Pakistan are set to meet in the marquee 2025 Men’s Asia Cup group stage clash on Sept.14. In the detailed fixtures announced by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) recently, India will also face UAE and Oman on Sept.10 and 19 respectively.

In the tournament happening from Sept.9-28, with Dubai and Abu Dhabi as the likely venues, India, Pakistan, UAE and Oman are placed in Group A, while Group B comprises of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Hong Kong.

After the group stage clash between India and Pakistan on Sept.14, both the teams might take on each other in the Super Fours and potentially the final to be held on Sept.28.

It is understood that India will play all its game at the Dubai International Stadium, though the schedule released by ACC doesn’t have any mention of it.

“Hosting the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 in the UAE allows fans from across Asia to come together in a setting that mirrors our region’s incredible diversity. When crowds gather to witness the tournament’s unforgettable clashes, it will be a great reminder of cricket’s power to build bridges,” said ACC President Mohsin Naqvi said in an official statement.

It’s also the first time Asia Cup, to be held in the T20I format keeping in mind the preparation for 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup, will have eight teams.

Top two teams from each group will proceed to the Super Fours stage, with the top two facing each other in the title clash.

While India is the designated host of the Asia Cup, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will stage the tournament in the UAE due to the mutual agreement between them and Pakistan to play at neutral venues in 2027 owing to the geopolitical and diplomatic tensions between the two nations.

The tournament was in uncertainty due to India-Pakistan cross-border tensions in May, but an ACC meeting in Dhaka on July 24 cleared the decks for the tournament to happen.

A recent spat of a brief war between the countries added fuel to the rivalry.

The neighbours have not met on either side’s soil in a bilateral series since 2012, and only play each other in international tournaments on neutral grounds as part of a compromise deal.

But already-frosty relations took a turn for the worse this year when the two nuclear rivals fought an intense four-day conflict, their worst standoff in decades.

More than 70 people were killed in missile, drone and artillery fire on both sides.

The conflict was triggered by an April 22 attack on civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir that New Delhi accused Pakistan of backing -- a charge Islamabad denies.

India are the defending champions of the Asia Cup, having beaten Sri Lanka in the 2023 final held in the 50-over format in Colombo.

Sri Lanka had won the Asia Cup in the T20I version after beating Pakistan in the final in 2022.

“The ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup is the marquee event of Asian cricket, and we are proud to present an expanded platform this year. This year marks yet another milestone in ACC’s journey and a noteworthy development for cricket in Asia.”

“With the inclusion of additional teams in the tournament, we are witnessing the game’s boundaries expand, both geographically and competitively. This will be Asia Cup at its finest,” added Naqvi.