The two-match T20I series between the UAE and Bangladesh, which is scheduled to take place in Sharjah on May 17 and 19, will see Muhammad Waseem reappointed as captain. After resigning from the T20I captaincy in October 2024 to concentrate on his ODI batting, Waseem will be returning to coaching duties.
With the appointment of Waseem, the UAE will play their first Twenty20 International since defeating Kuwait in the final to win the Gulf T20 Championship in December 2024. Since making his debut in 2021, the seasoned opener has led the national team in 26 Twenty20 Internationals and boasts the greatest run total in the sport worldwide. The team still benefits from Waseem’s presence despite his recent slump in form, which included failing to score a half-century in the 2025 ILT20 and only managing one ODI fifty in the previous two years.
According to, Waseem had stated at the time, “I have decided to step down as captain to concentrate on my batting in the ODI format.”
In the meantime, the hosts are coming off a poor showing in the Cricket World Cup League 2 in the Netherlands, losing two of their five games against Scotland and four of their five games against the Netherlands. A century from substitute captain Rahul Chopra and a four-wicket haul from left-arm bowler Simranjeet Singh gave them their lone victory over Scotland. Chopra and Singh are among the players in the 15-man squad selected for the Bangladesh series.
The games will be crucial for the UAE as they get ready for future contests.
The series would be the last encounter for Bangladesh before a five-match Twenty20 International series in Pakistan. The team has already left in two groups. The second group consisted of veteran batsman Najmul Hossain Shanto, captain Liton Das, and vice-captain Mahedi Hasan. As the full-time captain of the T20I team, this will be Liton’s first assignment. The last time the two sides played each other was in September 2022, when Bangladesh won both games in Dubai.
UAE’s T20I squad for Bangladesh series: Muhammad Waseem (C), Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma, Asif Khan, Dhruv Parashar, Ethan D’ Souza, Haider Ali, Matiullah Khan, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Zohaib, Muhammad Zuhaib, Rahul Chopra (wk), Saghir Khan, Sanchit Sharma, Simranjeet Singh
India
