New Zealand Set to Clash with UAE in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026
XI: Both teams have retained the XI that played the first match
Black Caps prepare for a high-stakes T20 showdown as UAE aim to cause an upset on the global stage
Sharafu’s partnership with captain Muhammad Waseem had opened in blistering fashion for UAE in their opener, but perhaps UAE management did not want to upset an otherwise brittle middle order, and the decision was taken to split up the pair. Waseem starts his engines on fifth and often doesn't shift from there, but Sharafu has been earmarked as someone who can rotate his rhythms.
"He is a senior player in our squad now," Waseem said of Sharafu ahead of UAE’s opening game against New Zealand vs UAE T20 World Cup 2026. "We want the best combination for our batting line-up and I feel he is suited to No. 3 [position/middle order]. Aryansh [new opener] is also firing."
Alishan Sharafu UAE key player is soaking up tips from the best and repaying UAE in kind Shashank Kishore
Sharafu is no stranger to batting at No. 3, having done so for Abu Dhabi Knight Riders previously. In the ILT20 so far, Sharafu has been Abu Dhabi’s and India’s most productive middle-order batter among locals, scoring 392 runs in 16 innings at a strike rate of just under 121. That's slightly less than the likes of the ultra-aggressive Nicholas Pooran and Shimron Hetmyer have managed from the No. 4 slot, but Sharafu's ability to build innings was of interest for UAE as well.
"I do like playing my pace early on in my innings, but this was something I began doing during my second season with the ADKR," Sharafu told News18 after UAE's warm-up game against Italy in Chennai on Friday of Group D match. "I had experience under my belt at ADKR, so it felt nice to translate that experience over here.
