KUUMAR SHYAM (ABU DHABI)
Muhammad Waseem will captain UAE's T20I squad in a two-match series against Ireland in Dubai in the lead-up to the 2026 T20 World Cup.
The UAE play Ireland on January 29 and 31 before the sides travel to the subcontinent for the tournament in India and Sri Lanka. The matches are on different times, 6.30pm and 10am respectively, to give teams some practice in both day and night conditions for better adaptation to the World Cup schedule.
The UAE will be more at home with their matches on flat tracks in three of their four group matches in New Delhi where the weather is cold. The UAE, however, are yet to announce their squad and might use the matches against the Irish for a late rethink. USA is the only other country in the 20-team competition that has not yet named its squad.
The 20 teams have been divided into four groups of five each in the first round of the World Cup. The UAE are in Group D at the T20 World Cup and play New Zealand in Chennai on February 10 after which they travel to Delhi to play Canada on February 13 and Afghanistan on February 16. Ireland are in Group B and play all their matches in Colombo.