UAE's Waseem vows to put up strong show at 2026 T20 World Cup

With the ICC T20 World Cup looming in a few weeks’ time, teams from around the globe have tightened their belts in a bid to leave an indelible mark on the showpiece event.

The UAE, who qualified for the cricket extravaganza, are looking to make it one of their best campaigns so far at the global stage.

UAE captain Muhammad Waseem is confident that his team will make the best use of the opportunity and will be a force to reckon with at the World Cup.

“We are confident of putting up our best performance at the World Cup in India. We have been drawn with Canada, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan in Group D.

“Out of these four teams, we have defeated Afghanistan, Canada and New Zealand earlier. We will also try to put up a fighting performance against South Africa,” said Waseem, who was speaking during the signing ceremony of the national team’s official sponsorship deal with STARTRADERS in Dubai. As part of the agreement, STARTRADER’s branding will appear on the official team jerseys throughout the tournament.

UAE qualified for the World Cup in an expanded 20-team World Cup with a host of other Affiliate Nations such as Canada, Italy, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, USA and Oman along with the permanent members like Pakistan, South Africa, West Indies, Australia, Bangladesh, India, England, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, New Zealand and Zimbabwe.

UAE qualified for the 50-over World Cup in 1996 for the first time. They played five matches, losing four and winning one. They again made it to the big stage in 2015 in the 50-over World Cup again. But, they failed to open their account in Australia but impressed everybody with a fighting performance.

Waseem is confident that this time around they will go beyond the first round and will leave a mark at the World Cup.

“We know it is a big opportunity and we will be against big boys of cricket but we are working very hard to live up to the occasion. As I said,we have already beaten all the teams in our group except South Africa so that will be a big motivation for us,” he added.

Waseem himself is a hard-hitting opening batsman, who can change the complexion of any game if he stays at the pitch for a while. He plays in different leagues around the world and has good exposure at the international level.

UAE’s coach is Lal chand Rajput, who was the coach of the Indian team, who won the first-ever T20 World Cup in South Africa. This gives a glimmer to the UAE that they can also spring some kind of surprise in 2026.

“We are not thinking that far, but yes anything can happen in cricket. We will take it match by match. We will try to give our best,” he added.

Waseem also thanked STARTRADERS for the extended support to the national team and along with Zayed Abbas, Member of Emirates Cricket Board and ECB COO Subhan Ahmad.

Ahmad said: “We are delighted to welcome STARTRADER as our Official Partner for UAE Men’s National Cricket Team for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

“We look forward to a mutually beneficial partnership which will help in the growth of the game in the UAE. Our partnership with STARTRADER goes beyond sport, reflecting shared values of discipline, focus, and resilience.

“The partnership is fully aligned with the Emirates Cricket Board’s vision for our team as they continue to showcase their talent at the world level with impressive performances.”

STARTRADER Chief Executive Officer Peter Karsten said on the occasion, “We have sponsored the UAE National Cricket Team during last year’s Asia Cup staged in the UAE but this time we are going bigger. We know that cricket has a way of reminding us what commitment, trust, and growth can achieve. “Continuing this partnership reflects our belief in long-term support for communities and in the human spirit driving both the game and the markets.”