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**UAE to Host T20 Tri-Series Featuring Pakistan and Afghanistan as World Cup Warm-Up**

**Sharjah, UAE –** Cricket fans in the United Arab Emirates are in for a treat this August and September as the nation hosts a high-profile T20 tri-series featuring Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the UAE national team. The hastily arranged series will serve as crucial preparation for all three teams ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.

All seven matches of the tri-series will be played in Sharjah, commencing on August 29th. The format will see each team playing each other twice in a round-robin stage, with the top two teams advancing to the final.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have already secured automatic qualification for the T20 World Cup. For the UAE, the series provides a vital opportunity to hone their skills as they aim to qualify through the ICC’s Asia-East Asia and Pacific qualifiers in Oman this October.

Afghanistan, who finished seventh in the previous T20 World Cup, will be looking to shake off any rust after a period without T20 international matches, since their bilateral series against Zimbabwe late last year. Pakistan, meanwhile, are currently engaged in a T20 series against the West Indies in the United States, giving them an edge in match practice.

The tri-series will be immediately followed by the Asia Cup, also to be held in the UAE, starting September 9th. Afghanistan will face Hong Kong in the opening match of that tournament. The back-to-back tournaments promise a thrilling period of T20 cricket for fans in the region.

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