With former Pakistan captains Babar and Rizwan ruled out and major contract changes, Pakistan’s squad has arrived in Dubai ahead of the tri-series and Asia Cup 2025. Led by Salman Ali Agha, the team members will assemble on Wednesday and begin preparations at the ICC Academy from Thursday.
The tri-series against Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates, starting on August 29, and the Asia Cup, starting on September 9, will both be played in the UAE. In a post on X, the PCB said the team has arrived in Dubai in four groups and added that it will attend a pre-series training camp from August 21 to 27 and take part in a training session at the ICC Cricket Academy.
The tri-series against Afghanistan and hosts UAE will begin on August 29 at the Sharjah Stadium, with the final on September 7. Pakistan will begin their campaign in the Asia Cup Group A against Oman in Dubai on September 12, followed by India on September 14.
In a major change, the Pakistan Cricket Board has scrapped the top A-category central contracts for the first time in 21 years. Azam and Rizwan were demoted to B-category contracts, along with key players like Salman Ali Agha, Fakhar Zaman, Abrar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
According to reports, the team departed from Pakistan in four different groups to “ensure a smooth and orderly arrival of the players and support staff in Dubai.” The state broadcaster reported that the ICC Cricket Academy will serve as the “primary training center” for the players, but the team was scheduled to play a T20 practice match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
The team sees the return of pacers Mohammad Wasim and Salman Mirza and opener Fakhar Zaman, who missed the recent ODI series against the West Indies due to injury. Pakistan will play practice matches at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium and training sessions at the ICC Academy.
All training sessions and practice matches will take place in Dubai as per the official schedule, PTV reported. “This arrangement is designed to provide the players with the ideal environment and facilities to prepare fully ahead of the two major tournaments,” it added.
The PCB announced on Sunday that Pakistan has dropped Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan from the T20 squad. Babar and Rizwan have been excellent performers in the shortest format of T20 in the past, but have not played since December. Head coach Mike Hesson cited the good performance of other players as the reason for this in a press conference.
Since Hesson became head coach in May, Pakistan has played three T20 series—winning 3-0 at home but losing 2-1 to Bangladesh. They then beat the West Indies 2-1 in the United States. All-rounder Salman Ali Agha will lead the team, which also sees the return of pacers Mohammad Wasim and Salman Mirza.
Also Read: Dubai Airport Launches AI-Powered Corridor That Clears Immigration in Just 14 Seconds
Pakistan Squad: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Sahibzada Farhan, Hasan Nawaz, Salman Mirza, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hussain Talat, Sufiyan Muqeem, Abrar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Faheem Ashraf, and Mohammad Wasim.