The national men’s T20 squad arrived in Dubai for the upcoming Asia Cup and Tri-Nation series, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Wednesday.

The tri-series against Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates, which starts on August 29, and the Asia Cup from September 9 will both take place in the UAE.

In a post on X, the PCB said the team arrived in Dubai in four groups, adding that it would participate in a pre-series training camp from August 21-27 and take part in a training session at the ICC Cricket Academy tomorrow.

The squad departed from Pakistan in four different groups “to ensure a smooth and organised arrival of players and support staff in Dubai”, state media PTV reported.

While the ICC Cricket Academy will serve as the “primary training facility” for players, the team was scheduled to play a T20 practice match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, the state broadcaster said.

All training sessions and practice matches will take place in Dubai according to the official schedule, PTV stated, adding, “This setup is designed to provide players with the ideal environment and facilities to prepare thoroughly ahead of the two major tournaments.”

The PCB announced on Sunday that Pakistan have left out Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan from the T20 squad.

Babar and Rizwan have been star performers in the shortest format in the past, but have not played since December, which head coach Mike Hesson put down to other players performing well while addressing a press conference.

Since Hesson took over as head coach in May, Pakistan have played three T20 series — winning 3-0 at home but losing 2-1 away to Bangladesh. They then beat the West Indies 2-1 in the United States.

All-rounder Salman Agha will lead the side, which also sees the return of fast bowlers Mohammad Wasim and Salman Mirza.

Pakistan squad: Salman Agha (captain), Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Sahibzada Farhan, Hasan Nawaz, Salman Mirza, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hussain Talat, Sufiyan Muqeem, Abrar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim.