Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan says his team are not setting “specific targets” despite their recent strong performances in ICC global tournaments, as they prepare to face Pakistan in the opening match of the UAE T20 Tri-Series in Sharjah on Friday.
The tri-nation event, which also features hosts United Arab Emirates, is being seen as a warm-up ahead of next month’s Asia Cup, also in the UAE.
Afghanistan have emerged as one of the most consistent performers in recent years. They reached the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup in the United States and the Caribbean last year, and narrowly missed out on the last four of the ODI Champions Trophy in Pakistan earlier in 2025. In the 2023 one-day World Cup, they stunned England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka with emphatic wins.
“We do not have specific targets, and we do not want to put extra pressure on our players,” Rashid said when asked if his side is aiming for the Asia Cup title.
“Our focus is to play the brand of cricket we have maintained over the years. For us, the main goal is to give 200 percent effort on the ground. The players may not have played T20Is recently, but many have been active in leagues around the world, which has kept them sharp,” he added.
Afghanistan, who defeated Pakistan 2-1 in a T20I series at the same venue in 2023, have named a 16-man squad for the tri-series. The squad features rising mystery spinner AM Ghazanfar alongside spin regulars Noor Ahmad, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Rashid himself.
The Asia Cup begins on September 9, serving as preparation for the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
Pakistan, meanwhile, are in a rebuilding phase. They crashed out in the group stage of the last T20 World Cup and went winless at the Champions Trophy. Earlier this year, they lost a T20 series in Bangladesh 2-1 but managed to edge the West Indies by the same margin.
Led by new captain Salman Agha, Pakistan have left out former skippers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan from the T20 squad.
“We are trying to build a team and this tri-series, followed by the Asia Cup, will be a good opportunity to achieve that,” said Agha. “We know both events will be challenging, but we are ready.”
Each team in the tri-series will play the others twice, with the top two sides advancing to the final on September 7. Besides Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the UAE, the Asia Cup will also feature defending champions India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Oman, and Hong Kong.
