Afghanistan bowl vs UAE with Ziaur in for Farooqi
UAE made two changes, with Simranjeet Singh and Syed Haider replacing Muhammad Farooq and Mayank Kumar
ESPNcricinfo staff
Feb 16, 2026, 5:27 AM • 5 hrs ago
Ziaur Rahman came in for Fazalhaq Farooqi • ICC via Getty Images
Toss Afghanistan chose to bowl vs UAE
Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan put UAE in to bat first with both teams looking to stay alive in the competition.
He read the Delhi pitch as a 'fresh wicket' that will get softer as the day progresses, and that batting will get easier for the chasing team. In other matches at this World Cup, day games have seen extra moisture at the start of play, which helps the bowling team. The moisture - and the perceived advantage with ball in hand - might drop off as the day progresses in sunny conditions, with the temperature hovering around 25 degrees Celsius.
Afghanistan went for a like-for-like replacement, with pacer Ziaur Rahman slotting into the side in place of left-arm quick Fazalhaa Farooqi. They continue to field four spinners in their line-up: captain Rashid, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mohammad Nabi, and Noor Ahmad.
On the other hand, UAE have rung in two changes: Simranjeet Singh and Syed Haider replace Muhammad Farooq and Mayank Kumar in the eleven.
Both teams are virtually out of the running for the Super Eights. The team that loses today will be mathematically out of contention, while the team that wins will still have to hope a string of upsets play out against table toppers - New Zealand and South Africa - in the coming days.
Afghanistan: Rashid Khan (capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Ziaur Rahman
United Arab Emirates: Muhammad Waseem (capt), Aryansh Sharma (wk), Alishan Sharafu, Sohaib Khan, Syed Haider, Harshit Kaushik, Muhammad Arfan, Haider Ali, Simranjeet Singh, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Jawadullah