T20 World Cup 2026: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) cricket team has sent batter Muhammad Zohaib back home on the eve of their T20 World Cup 2026 opener against New Zealand, mentioning "disciplinary reasons".
The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) released a statement confirming Zohaib's departure, but did not disclose further details, stating that further details would be shared in due course.
The UAE will open their T20 World Cup campaign on Tuesday against New Zealand in Chennai and the significant blow of Zohaib's availability has put the team in an uphill task.
To fill the void, the team has promoted 21-year-old Aryansh Sharma to open alongside captain Muhammad Waseem.
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Captain Waseem highlighted the team's harmony and strong practice, drawing confidence from their 2023 T20I win over New Zealand in Dubai.
"Our strategy is very simple. We beat them before in the UAE but this time it's a different venue, a different tournament, a different ground, and a different game also. So we came with another plan right now. So yes, they are a good team and have experience also. But we work very well and we have prepared ourselves like a champion team. We will try to play good cricket against them tomorrow," Waseem said ahead of NZ clash.
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Talking about his squad, Waseem said, "There is no India-Pakistan. We are playing for the UAE and we are always treating ourselves like a family. We are living like a family, friends. We are spending time together, eating together. There is no Indian-Pakistani in the UAE team, to be honest."