UAE vs Afghanistan, 1st T20I: Probable XIs, Match Prediction, Weather Forecast, Pitch Report, and Live Streaming Details

UAE and Afghanistan will lock horns in the first game of the three-match series on Thursday, February 16. The Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi will host the contest.

Afghanistan named a strong 18-member squad on Wednesday. They named Rashid Khan as their skipper and dropped veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi, who stepped down as their T20I skipper following the T20 World Cup on Australian soil last year.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Hazratullah Zazai should keep opening the batting, with the likes of Ibrahim Zadran and Najibullah in the middle order. Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen-ul-Haq should take charge of the fast bowling unit. Gulbadin Naib also brings in a lot of experience.

The UAE, on the other hand, will be captained by CP Rizwan, who replaced Ahmed Raza as the T20I skipper before the T20 World Cup. Rohan Mustafa missed the World Cup, but has returned to the squad. Muhammad Waseem was in stupendous form for MI Emirates in the ILT20 2023.

Karthik Meiyappan picked up a hat-trick in the World Cup and will be fairly high on confidence. Junaid Siddiqui, Akif Raja and Zahoor Khan are fresh off bowling impressive spells in the ILT20. The focus will also be on youngsters Alishan Sharafu and Aayan Afzal Khan.

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UAE vs Afghanistan Match Details

Match: UAE vs Afghanistan, 1st T20I

Date and Time: February 16, 2023, Thursday, 07:30 pm IST

Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

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UAE vs Afghanistan Pitch Report

The pitch in Abu Dhabi has been decent for batting, but spinners are most likely to come into play. Fielding first after winning the toss should be the way forward.

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UAE vs Afghanistan Weather Forecast

There is no chance of rain for the time being. Temperatures will be around the 23-degree Celsius mark with the humidity in the high-70s.

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UAE vs Afghanistan Probable XIs

UAE

Muhammad Waseem, Rohan Mustafa, Vriitya Aravind (wk), Basil Hameed, CP Rizwan (C), Alishan Sharafu, Aayan Afzal Khan, Karthik Meiyappan, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddiqui, Akif Raja

Afghanistan

Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan (WK), Azmatullah Omarzai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman

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UAE vs Afghanistan Match Prediction

Afghanistan have a strong team on paper and are the firm favorites to win the opening game of the series. The UAE will find it hard to beat their opponents.

Prediction: Afghanistan to win.

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UAE vs Afghanistan TV and Live Streaming details

TV: N/A

Live Streaming: Fancode