Paquistão jogar tri-serious contra o Afeganistão e Emirados Árabes Unidos apenas antes da Ásia 2025

In an attempt to prepare for the Asia Cup 2025, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has officially confirmed a T20 tri-series involving Afghanistan and the UAE. The series will be held in Sharjah from August 29 to September 7, just days before the Asia Cup kicks off in the UAE on September 9. The series will give the Men in Green a crucial head start in adapting to the local conditions.

Pakistan desperate for action at Asia Cup

Originally planned as a bilateral series between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the PCB proposed the expansion into a tri-series to simulate competitive match scenarios in similar conditions to the Asia Cup. PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi had hinted at this plan earlier, and the schedule has now been locked in.

Each team will face the others twice in the round-robin stage, with the top two qualifying for the final on September 7. All matches will begin at 7 PM local time. Which means that Indian fans will be able to watch the matches from 8:30 PM IST onwards. Pakistan (ICC No. 8) head into the series as the highest-ranked team, followed by Afghanistan (No. 9) and UAE (No. 14).

The Pakistan men’s T20I team, under new coach Michael Hesson, has been quite poor. They recently lost the three-match T20I rubber against Bangladesh, even going down 30/6 in a must-win clash. On July 24, however, Pakistan won the dead rubber by 74 runs. They have started their T20I series against the West Indies with a slender win as well.

Tri-series schedule

With the Asia Cup confirmed to run from September 9-28 in the UAE, the tri-series offers all three teams vital match practice. Pakistan, who recently beat the West Indies in white-ball cricket, will begin their Asia Cup campaign against Oman on September 12, while Afghanistan will face Hong Kong on September 9. UAE, meanwhile, will use the series as preparation for both the Asia Cup and for their T20 World Cup 2026 qualifiers in October.