Muhammad Waseem named new captain as UAE announce 16-man squad for T20I series against New Zealand

UAE have named Muhammad Waseem as their new T20I captain. Waseem will lead the United Arab Emirates team in their upcoming home series against New Zealand, starting tomorrow evening.

The Emirates Cricket Board announced a 16-man squad for the T20I series against West Indies earlier today. Muhammad Waseem will lead the squad, while the list of players features the likes of Vriitya Aravind, Aayan Afzal Khan, Basil Hameed, Ethan D’Souza, Faraazuddin, Jash Giyanani, Zahoor Khan and Junaid Siddique.

Asif Khan, who scored the fastest ODI century for an Associate nation earlier this year, is set to make his T20I debut against the Blackcaps. All-rounder Faraazuddin and spin bowler Jash Giyanani have earned their maiden T20I call-ups, thanks to their impressive performances in domestic cricket. Here is the UAE squad for T20Is against New Zealand:

UAE squad for T20I series against New Zealand: Muhammad Waseem (captain), Ali Naseer, Ansh Tandon, Aryansh Sharma, Asif Khan, Aayan Afzal Khan, Basil Hameed, Ethan D’Souza, Faraazuddin, Jash Giyanani, Junaid Siddique, Lovepreet Singh, Mohammad Jawadullah, Sanchit Sharma, Vriitya Aravind and Zahoor Khan.

Muhammad Waseem has replaced CP Rizwan as the captain of UAE's T20I team

UAE played their last T20I match against Afghanistan on February 19, 2023. CP Rizwan captained the United Arab Emirates team in that match, where Afghanistan recorded a six-wicket win.

Rizwan had been UAE's captain since August 2022. The team played 11 T20Is under his captaincy, registering three wins and eight defeats. Although UAE recorded a win against Namibia at the grand stage of T20 World Cup under Rizwan's captaincy, the team management has decided to change the skipper.

It will be interesting to see how UAE performs under the captaincy of Waseem. The 23-year-old player made his ODI captaincy debut earlier this year. He has captained UAE in 19 ODI matches so far, recording six wins and 13 defeats.