Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the fifth match of T20 international tri-series at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Thursday.
Pakistan have won two matches so far and lost one. Pakistan defeated Afghanistan and UAE but lost their third match of the tri-series against Afghanistan. UAE have lost all their previous matches.
In the last meeting, Saim Ayub and Hasan Nawaz's blistering fireworks put pressure on the UAE, as their half-centuries set the launching pad for the lower middle-order to tee off, helping Pakistan post 207 on the board. In reply, UAE's batting heavily relied on captain Muhammad Waseem and he lived up to expectations by racing to 33. However, a run-out opened the floodgates and they lost momentum in the middle overs, struggling against a trial of spin.
UAE will be looking to go the extra mile tonight in search of their first win. The hosts will need a stronger performance from their bowlers to stay in the hunt. Pakistan will want to carry winning momentum into the Asia Cup and won't be complacent against a side that's more than capable of springing a surprise.
Teams
Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Ali Agha (c), Hasan Nawaz, Muhammad Nawaz, Mohammad Haris (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Salman Mirza, Abrar Ahmed
UAE: Muhammad Waseem (c), Asif Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Rahul Chopra (wk), Ethan D'Souza, Harshit Kaushik, Shruv Parashar, Haider Ali, Muhammad Jawad, Muhammad Rohid, Junaid Siddique