The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 Event Technical Committee has approved Haider Shah as a substitute for Muhammad Zohaib in the UAE squad. Haider has played 16 T20 internationals and was chosen after Zohaib withdrew for reasons related to mental well-being and team welfare.
To replace a player, the Event Technical Committee’s approval is necessary. The UAE followed this process to alter their original squad for the global tournament being held in India and Sri Lanka. The International Cricket Council announced this update in a media release on Wednesday evening.
The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) previously mentioned that Zohaib was sent home before their first match due to disciplinary reasons. They indicated that more details would be shared later. It has now emerged that mental health concerns were part of the reasons for his exit from the twenty-team tournament.
The UAE team, placed in Group D, faced a significant loss in their opening game against New Zealand at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. They lost by 10 wickets, which negatively impacted their net run-rate in a competitive table.
Looking ahead, the Waseem Muhammad-led team will compete against Canada on February 13, followed by a match against Afghanistan on February 16. Their group stage campaign will conclude against South Africa a few days later. All these matches are set to take place at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
UAE’s updated squad for T20 World Cup 2026
Waseem Muhammad (captain), Sohaib Khan, Mayank Kumar, Dhruv Parashar, Alishan Sharafu, Harshit Kaushik, Aryansh Sharma, Simranjeet Singh, Muhammad Rohid Khan, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Arfan, Junaid Siddique, Haider Ali, and Haider Shah
