Pakistan vs. UAE, Asia Cup: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview
Pakistan will seek to put their disappointing performance against India on Saturday behind them when they take on cricketing minnows United Arab Emirates in Dhaka.
But how did the defeat to their archrivals affect Shahid Afridi's men? And can the Middle Eastern team take advantage of their shell-shocked opponents to claim the biggest scalp in their history?
Let's take a look at how the two teams are shaping up ahead of this intriguing contest.
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Date: Monday, 29 February
Time: 7:30 p.m. local (1:30 p.m. GMT)
Venue: Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, Bangladesh
Live Stream and TV Info: Fox Sports (Australia), DD National/Star Sports (India), GEO Super/PTV Sports (Pakistan), TNL TV (Sri Lanka), Star/Channel 9 (Bangladesh), Life OK (UK), Sky Sport (New Zealand), Yupptv.com (Live streaming service available in Europe).
Weather: According to BBC Weather, we have a day of unblemished sunshine giving way to a warm, pleasant evening in Dhaka.
Overview
Pakistan will still be having nightmares about their batting efforts against India, but they'll need to put this behind them quickly if they are to, as expected, dispatch the UAE.
While Mohammad Amir's early burst made the non-contest against MS Dhoni and Co. seem closer than it actually was, to be dismissed for just 83 by their archrivals will hurt.
Sarfraz Ahmed top-scored with 25 runs, extras was next with 15 and nine players registered single-figure scores.
Total embarrassment was saved by Amir ripping out three early wickets but, in terms of plus points, that was about it, which is worrying with the T20 World Cup just around the corner.
Of course, Pakistan should find the going easier against a UAE side that, despite progressing from the qualifying stages with ease, have lost two from two in the main phase of the competition.
First up for the Associate Member was a low-scoring 14-run defeat to Sri Lanka despite reducing the current T20 World Champions for 129.
This was followed by a comprehensive loss to Bangladesh where they could only muster 82 in response to the Tigers' first innings of 133.
The likes of Amjad Javed and Mohammad Naveed, who've taken nine wickets between them, and leg-spinner Ahmed Raza, who has posted an economy rate of 3.88 from his eight overs, have been impressive.
But the UAE's main issue in both games has been scoring runs.
Their top four have contributed just 45 runs in total across both games, while their highest individual score so far was 37 from Swapnil Patil.
Clearly they need to address this if they're going to cause a huge upset.
T20I head-to-head record and last meeting
This is the first-ever official T20 between the sides; however, the teams contested an ODI at the 2015 World Cup with Pakistan easing to a substantial 129-run win in Napier, New Zealand.
Squads
Pakistan
Shahid Afridi (capt), Mohammad Hafeez, Anwar Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khurram Manzoor, Wahab Riaz, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Amir, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Nawaz, Sarfraz Ahmed, Umar Akmal, Mohammad Sami, Sharjeel Khan.
UAE
Amjad Javed (capt), Swapnil Patil, Ahmed Raza, Fahad Tariq, Farhan Ahmed, Mohammad Naveed, Mohammad Shahzad, Mohammad Usman, Muhammad Kaleem, Qadeer Ahmed, Rohan Mustafa, Saqlain Haider, Shaiman Anwar, Usman Mushtaq, Zaheer Maqsood.
Key Players
Pakistan
Since returning from a five-year ban for spot fixing, Mohammad Amir has hit the ground running to reinstall himself as Pakistan's premier pace bowler.
As India's top order will testify, the left-armer's mix of pace, swing and control is a significant test for any batsman, and he could fill his boots against the UAE's part-timers.
UAE
Amjad Javed has taken 15 wickets in his last eight T20s and, as evidenced by his 3-25 against Sri Lanka, isn't fazed by the quality of the opposition.
The UAE's skipper may work for Emirates Airlines in his day job, but his country need him to be firing on all cylinders if they are to fly in this game.
Prediction
Given Pakistan's consistent inconsistency, it would be no surprise if they have a wobble at some point in this game.
But surely their potent seam attack will prove too strong for the UAE's run-shy batsmen.
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