🏏ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026:M20: CAN vs UAE, Delhi 🏏

Canada and the UAE will both look to reset their campaigns when they meet in Group D, with neither side able to take too many positives from their opening outings. Heavy defeats in their respective first matches have left them chasing early ground in the tournament, turning this fixture into an opportunity not just for points but for restoration of belief.

Canada were comprehensively beaten by South Africa, who piled up 213 for 4 before restricting them to 156 for 8. The bowling unit struggled to stem the flow once South Africa got going, and although Navneet Dhaliwal offered resistance with a half-century, the chase never gathered momentum. The defeat highlighted the need for sharper execution with the ball and more collective assurance with the bat if Canada are to compete more effectively against top-tier attacks.

The UAE's result was similarly one-sided, though there were encouraging signs with the bat. After posting 173 for 6 against New Zealand, they were left powerless as the target was chased down without the loss of a wicket. While their batting showed enterprise and enough depth to reach a competitive total, the bowling lacked penetration and control against a high-quality opposition. As with Canada, the task now is about recalibrating quickly and producing a more rounded performance in a contest that suddenly carries added significance.

When: Match 20, Friday, February 13 at 3:00 PM Local Time

Where: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi

What to expect: This will be the third match that will be played in Delhi. The first one, which started at 11 AM, saw the Netherlands chase down Namibia's total of 156 with a couple of overs to spare. Namibia's captain reckoned it felt like "a tacky wicket" in the morning. But with this game starting in the afternoon, bowlers may not find as much help as they did in that match.

Head to head: Canada and the UAE have played against each other only once in T20Is. This was during the T20 World Cup qualifiers in 2019 when the UAE won by 14 runs.

Team news:

Canada

Jaskaran Singh and Saad Bin Zafar were expensive in the game against New Zealand and Canada may bring in Shivam Sharma in place of one of them.

Probable XI: Yuvraj Samra, Dilpreet Bajwa (c), Navneet Dhaliwal, Nicholas Kirton, Shreyas Movva (wk), Harsh Thaker, Saad Bin Zafar, Jaskaran Singh/Shivam Sharma, Dilon Heyliger, Kaleem Sana, Ansh Patel

UAE

The UAE might look to strengthen their bowling by bringing in Muhammad Farooq or Simranjeet Singh in place of Muhammad Arfan.

Probable XI: Aryansh Sharma (wk), Muhammad Waseem (c), Alishan Sharafu, Mayank Kumar, Sohaib Khan, Harshit Kaushik, Muhammad Arfan/Muhammad Farooq/ Simranjeet Singh, Dhruv Parashar, Haider Ali, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Rohid Khan

Big picture: UAE have the edge, but there are issues

UAE are the more experienced, and better performing, side when compared to Canada, though there isn't much to separate them in the T20I rankings. UAE are 17th, Canada 19th. They have also had more exposure against high-quality opposition between the previous T20 World Cup and this one, playing 11 matches against Full Members while Canada have played none.

UAE, however, were disrupted ahead of their tournament opener, with top-order batter Muhammad Zohaib being sent home. The ECB said it was for "disciplinary reasons". The ICC said it was due to "player mental well-being and team welfare issues". Zohaib reportedly said he was forced out.

UAE had to rejig their combination and ended up losing their first game to New Zealand by ten wickets in Chennai. They got half-centuries from Muhammad Waseem and Alishan Sharafu but not much from anyone else, and their bowlers conceded the target of 174 in 15.2 overs.

Canada also suffered a heavy defeat against South Africa in Ahmedabad, where they conceded 213 for 4 and made only 156 in response, with only Navneet Dhaliwal and Harsh Thaker getting past 20 in the chase.

These two teams have faced each other only once before the T20Is - back in 2019, when UAE won by 14 runs in Abu Dhabi.

In the spotlight: Alishan Sharafu and Navneet Dhaliwal

Alishan Sharafu matched Muhammad Waseem shot for shot during their 107-run stand for the second wicket against New Zealand. Sharafu, 23, struck the ball cleanly and played both an aggressive yet supporting role in the company of Waseem. He had a poor run of scores leading into this T20 World Cup and UAE will hope the 55 in Chennai is a turnaround in form.

"Damien Martyn, eat your heart out!" said Danny Morisson on commentary, when Navneet Dhaliwal played a back-foot punch through the off side. Dhaliwal rose onto his toes as he punched Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi through the tightly set field. He struck seven fours and a six during his 64 off 49 balls against New Zealand. Dhaliwal, incidentally, was the Canada captain when they played UAE in that T20I in 2019.

Team news

UAE could bring in Muhammad Jawadullah as a seam-bowling option. They also have Muhammad Farooq and Simranjeet Singh on the bench, while Haider Shah replaced Zohaib in the squad.

UAE (probable): 1 Aryansh Sharma (wk), 2 Muhammad Waseem (capt), 3 Alishan Sharafu, 4 Harshit Kaushik, 5 Mayank Kumar, 6 Sohaib Khan, 7 Muhammad Arfan, 8 Dhruv Parashar, 9 Haider Ali, 10 Junaid Siddique, 11 Muhammad Rohid

Canada are likely to play the same XI that lost to South Africa.

Canada (probable): 1 Dilpreet Bajwa (capt), 2 Yuvraj Samra, 3 Navneet Dhaliwal, 4 Nicholas Kirton, 5 Shreyas Movva (wk), 6 Harsh Thaker, 7 Saad Bin Zafar, 8 Jaskaran Singh, 9 Dilon Heyliger, 10 Kaleem Sana, 11 Ansh Patel

Pitch and conditions

The temperature in Delhi is pleasant with a high of 24°C expected on Friday with low humidity. Netherlands easily chased down 156 in a day game against Namibia, and India are playing Namibia in a night game on Thursday. The UAE-Canada fixture is the first day-night game at the venue in this tournament, with a scheduled start at 3pm local time.

Stats and trivia

• Waseem needs seven sixes to become the second batter - after Rohit Sharma - to hit 200 sixes in T20Is. Rohit has 205 sixes in 151 innings, while Waseem has 193 in 94 innings.
• Waseem was also the fastest to score 3000 T20I runs, off 1947 balls, until Suryakumar Yadav got to the milestone off 1822 deliveries in February this year.
• Canada won eight T20Is in a row in the lead-up to this T20 World Cup, their longest winning streak in this format. They had won 13 of their previous 14 T20Is before this T20 World Cup.
• UAE had not played an international match in India, until they faced New Zealand in Chennai earlier this week.

Thanks for the thread Parm