Rashid's landmark and West Indies' auditions headline T20I series in Dubai

Afghanistan and West Indies will tune up for the T20 World Cup, which will kick off on February 7 in India and Sri Lanka, with a three-match T20I series in Dubai where conditions are fairly comparable to the venues for the global tournament.

While Afghanistan have already announced their squad for the World Cup, West Indies are yet to lock in their side, which means there's a bit more incentive for some players to attract the attention of the selectors and team management in the absence of seniors, who are away at the SA20 or recovering from injuries. Here are some key things to watch out for in the three-match series, which will kick off on January 19.

Fast bowler Shamar Joseph and middle-order batter Shimron Hetmyer will look to prove their match fitness in this series, in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup. Shamar, 26, has not played any competitive cricket since September 2025, when he featured in the CPL, because of injury. With the other Joseph, Alzarri, still working his way back from injury, Shamar will be expected to shake off the rust quickly and lead West Indies' seam attack. While Shamar has established himself as West Indies' strike bowler in Test cricket, he is still finding his feet in white-ball cricket.

Hetmyer is also set to return to action after suffering a hamstring injury during his ILT20 stint with Desert Vipers. With Sherfane Rutherford away with Pretoria Capitals in the SA20, Hetmyer is likely to slot in as West Indies' finisher and make his first international appearance for West Indies since July last year. In the 2024 T20 World Cup, Hetmyer didn't play a single game, with Rutherford emerging as West Indies' first-choice finisher. Can Hetmyer move up the hierarchy ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup?

With Shai Hope in action at the SA20, Evin Lewis will have another crack at the opening slot, along with stand-in captain Brandon King, against Afghanistan. Lewis, now 34, was once regarded as Chris Gayle's successor, but his stocks have fallen in T20 cricket of late. He hasn't played for West Indies either since August 2025. His six-hitting ability - he has smashed 467 sixes in 251 innings - however has brought him back into the selection frame.

Then there's a top-order wildcard - the uncapped Quentin Sampson who has been picked on CPL form. Like Lewis, Sampson is a six-hitter and had a strike rate of 151.57 across nine innings in the CPL. Sampson hails from Caria Caria village, which is located on the shore of Essequibo River and isn't too far away from Saxacalli, Keemo Paul's village. He initially played softball cricket in his village before rising through the ranks and becoming a professional player for Guyana. Even Romario Shepherd was impressed with Sampson's ability to stay low and stable while meeting the ball during the CPL.

All of 27, Rashid Khan is on the cusp of another significant landmark - he's nine strikes away from becoming the first bowler to 700 T20 wickets. And he has a chance to get there against the team that produced T20 OGs.

After taking time off from the game, Rashid has put his body to test in franchise cricket in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup, participating in both the ILT20 and SA20 across the past two months. However, since the back injury that followed the 2023 ODI World Cup, he has lost some of his old fizz and has often missed his lengths. Afghanistan will hope that Rashid can get back to his peak form and fitness and be their spin ace at the T20 World Cup.

Naveen-ul-Haq, who has a slingy action and a collection of slower balls in his repertoire, has been sidelined from this series and also the T20 World Cup with a shoulder injury. While left-arm seamer Fazalhaq Farooqi is back in the T20I squad, Ziaur Rahman Sharfi is more of a like-for-like replacement for Naveen. From originally being in the reserves, Sharfi has now been promoted to the main squad. The 27-year-old has played just one T20I so far, but he showed promise during the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). Before the BPL, he marked his Test debut against Zimbabwe with a seven-wicket haul.