Canada, UAE face each other for only the second time in T20Is
Both teams lost their opening fixtures of the 2026 T20 World Cup
Mohammad Isam
Feb 12, 2026, 12:38 PM • 8 hrs ago
UAE were beaten comprehensively by New Zealand in Chennai • ICC/Getty Images
Big picture: UAE have the edge, but there are issues
UAE are the more experienced, and better performing, side when compared to Canada, though there isn't much to separate them in the T20I rankings. UAE are 17th, Canada 19th. They have also had more exposure against high-quality opposition between the previous T20 World Cup and this one, playing 11 matches against Full Members while Canada have played none.
UAE, however, were disrupted ahead of their tournament opener, with top-order batter Muhammad Zohaib being sent home. The ECB said it was for "disciplinary reasons". The ICC said it was due to "player mental well-being and team welfare issues". Zohaib reportedly said he was forced out.
UAE had to rejig their combination and ended up losing their first game to New Zealand by ten wickets in Chennai. They got half-centuries from Muhammad Waseem and Alishan Sharafu but not much from anyone else, and their bowlers conceded the target of 174 in 15.2 overs.
Canada also suffered a heavy defeat against South Africa in Ahmedabad, where they conceded 213 for 4 and made only 156 in response, with only Navneet Dhaliwal and Harsh Thaker getting past 20 in the chase.
These two teams have faced each other only once before the T20Is - back in 2019, when UAE won by 14 runs in Abu Dhabi.
Form guide
UAE LLLLW (most recent first)
Canada LWWWW
Canada LWWWW
In the spotlight: Alishan Sharafu and Navneet Dhaliwal
Alishan Sharafu matched Muhammad Waseem shot for shot during their 107-run stand for the second wicket against New Zealand. Sharafu, 23, struck the ball cleanly and played both an aggressive yet supporting role in the company of Waseem. He had a poor run of scores leading into this T20 World Cup and UAE will hope the 55 in Chennai is a turnaround in form.
"Damien Martyn, eat your heart out!" said Danny Morisson on commentary, when Navneet Dhaliwal played a back-foot punch through the off side. Dhaliwal rose onto his toes as he punched Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi through the tightly set field. He struck seven fours and a six during his 64 off 49 balls against New Zealand. Dhaliwal, incidentally, was the Canada captain when they played UAE in that T20I in 2019.
Team news
UAE could bring in Muhammad Jawadullah as a seam-bowling option. They also have Muhammad Farooq and Simranjeet Singh on the bench, while Haider Shah replaced Zohaib in the squad.
UAE (probable): 1 Aryansh Sharma (wk), 2 Muhammad Waseem (capt), 3 Alishan Sharafu, 4 Harshit Kaushik, 5 Mayank Kumar, 6 Sohaib Khan, 7 Muhammad Arfan, 8 Dhruv Parashar, 9 Haider Ali, 10 Junaid Siddique, 11 Muhammad Rohid
Canada are likely to play the same XI that lost to South Africa.
Canada (probable): 1 Dilpreet Bajwa (capt), 2 Yuvraj Samra, 3 Navneet Dhaliwal, 4 Nicholas Kirton, 5 Shreyas Movva (wk), 6 Harsh Thaker, 7 Saad Bin Zafar, 8 Jaskaran Singh, 9 Dilon Heyliger, 10 Kaleem Sana, 11 Ansh Patel
Pitch and conditions
The temperature in Delhi is pleasant with a high of 24°C expected on Friday with low humidity. Netherlands easily chased down 156 in a day game against Namibia, and India are playing Namibia in a night game on Thursday. The UAE-Canada fixture is the first day-night game at the venue in this tournament, with a scheduled start at 3pm local time.
Stats and trivia
- Waseem needs seven sixes to become the second batter - after Rohit Sharma - to hit 200 sixes in T20Is. Rohit has 205 sixes in 151 innings, while Waseem has 193 in 94 innings.
- Waseem was also the fastest to score 3000 T20I runs, off 1947 balls, until Suryakumar Yadav got to the milestone off 1822 deliveries in February this year.
- Canada won eight T20Is in a row in the lead-up to this T20 World Cup, their longest winning streak in this format. They had won 13 of their previous 14 T20Is before this T20 World Cup.
- UAE had not played an international match in India, until they faced New Zealand in Chennai earlier this week.
Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo's Bangladesh correspondent. @isam84