Teams: United Arab Emirates vs Afghanistan
Date & Time: 1 September, 08:30 PM IST
Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format/Tournament: T20I (Playing XI not announced yet)
Afghanistan arrive with the stronger core and higher ceiling in fantasy terms, led by Rashid Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and pace options like Fazalhaq Farooqi/Fareed Ahmad Malik/Mujeeb. UAE’s recent form is mixed, but they’ve discovered consistent fantasy value in H Ali-I, M Jawad Ullah, Waseem Muhammad, and M Saghir Khan.
Sharjah’s last-6-month profile shows a balanced pitch with a pace tilt, and chasing has won ~70%—so bowling points late in the second innings can spike.
Team | Chance |
---|---|
Afghanistan | 68% |
United Arab Emirates | 32% |
Nature: Balanced, slight pace edge
Avg 1st inns score: 173
Avg wickets/innings: 7
Toss trends: Teams prefer chasing (≈80% choose to chase); wins chasing ≈70%
Fantasy split (last 6 months):
1st inns FPts: Bat 260.2 | Bowl 254.1
2nd inns FPts: Bat 255.2 | Bowl 192.3
Pacers vs Spinners (FPts/over):
Overall: Pace 15.0 > Spin 11.2
1st inns: Pace 14.8 > Spin 12.5
2nd inns: Pace 15.3 >> Spin 9.7
Slightly pace-friendly, especially defending or late in the chase.
Death-overs pacers from the team bowling second get a bump.
If it grips, elite spinners (Rashid, Mujeeb) still carry safe floors via wickets + economy.
UAE: L W L L (mixed, low totals at times)
AFG: L W W L L (streaky but higher ceiling)
UAE:
H Ali-I (BOW) – 551 pts
M Saghir Khan (AR) – 459 pts
Junaid Siddique (BOW) – 370 pts
M Jawad Ullah (BOW) – 365 pts
E D’souza (BAT) – 329 pts
Waseem Muhammad (BAT) – 175 pts
Afghanistan:
Rashid Khan (AR) – 456 pts
Azmatullah Omarzai (AR) – 277 pts
Mujeeb Ur Rahman (BOW) – 224 pts
Mohammad Nabi (AR) – 210 pts
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK) – 115 pts
Fareed Ahmad Malik (BOW) – 132 pts
H Ali-I (UAE) – 909 pts in 10 (ultra-consistent wicket-taker)
Rashid Khan (AFG) – 813 pts in 10 (elite floor/ceiling)
Waseem Muhammad (UAE) – 631 pts in 10 (impact opener)
M Saghir Khan (UAE) – 633 pts in 7 (multi-skill)
Azmatullah Omarzai (AFG) – 467 pts in 10 (points in both disciplines)
PP batting: R Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran – boundary intent; stack one of them even vs new-ball nip.
PP bowling: Farooqi/Mujeeb – swing + new-ball wickets; economy points.
Middle/Death bowling: Rashid (middle overs strike), Fareed/Janat/Omarzai at death—wicket bursts.
PP batting: Waseem Muhammad, E D’souza/Asif Khan – attacking; play form + role.
PP/Death bowling: H Ali-I, M Jawad Ullah, Junaid Siddique – best wicket threat; death overs = fantasy spikes.
Rashid Khan (AFG, AR): Peak wicket threat + bonus economy; reliable across conditions.
H Ali-I (UAE, BOW): Red-hot haul rate; aligns with Sharjah’s pace bias.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (AFG, WK): High PP usage, ceiling knocks.
M Jawad Ullah (UAE, BOW): Recent average 101 (3M); death overs.
Azmatullah Omarzai (AFG, AR): Dual points; finishing role + 2–3 overs.
Waseem Muhammad (UAE, BAT): Form + PP aggression.
Fareed Ahmad Malik / Mujeeb (AFG, BOW): Venue-suited; bags when AFG defend.
PerfectLineup frequency:
Rashid (AFG) – 9 times
H Ali-I (UAE) – 8 times
Omarzai (AFG) – 8 times
Waseem (UAE) – 7 times
R Gurbaz (AFG) – 5 times
Junaid Siddique (UAE) – 4 times (H2H set), M Jawad Ullah – 3 times
(Will adjust once XIs/toss are out, but this is optimized for Sharjah + recent form.)
WK (1):
R Gurbaz (AFG)
Bat (3–4):
Waseem Muhammad (UAE)
Ibrahim Zadran (AFG)
Asif Khan / E D’souza (UAE) (pick one based on toss & spot in XI)
AR (3):
Rashid Khan (AFG) – C
Azmatullah Omarzai (AFG) – VC
M Saghir Khan (UAE)
Bowl (4):
H Ali-I (UAE)
M Jawad Ullah (UAE)
Mujeeb Ur Rahman (AFG)
Fareed Ahmad Malik (AFG) (or Fazalhaq Farooqi if he’s confirmed over Fareed)
Captain: Rashid Khan
Vice-Captain: Azmatullah Omarzai
Structure: 1 WK – 3/4 Bat – 3 AR – 4 Bowl (pace-heavy per venue)
If Afghanistan bowl first: Boost Farooqi/Fareed + Mujeeb; retain Rashid. Consider double AFG pacers.
If Afghanistan chase: Prioritise Gurbaz/Ibrahim; keep Rashid for middle overs; one of Mujeeb/Farooqi still viable.
If UAE bowl second: H Ali-I and Jawad Ullah become near must-haves (death overs + Sharjah pace edge).
If UAE bat first on a dry surface: Add a UAE top-order punt (Asif Khan/E D’souza) for strike-rate bonus potential.
Small Leagues: Stick to Rashid / Omarzai / H Ali-I / Gurbaz core.
Grand Leagues: Rotate in Waseem, M Saghir Khan, Fareed/Farooqi, and a punt on Nabi for role volatility.