T20 tri-series: Rashid Khan's Afghanistan squad is the favorite in this Asia Cup tune-up

It’s time for Rashid Khan and his Afghanistan lineup to be favorites in a Twenty20 international cricket tournament.

Afghanistan has a formidable, spin-heavy squad for the tri-series that starts Friday and also features Pakistan and the host United Arab Emirates. It's a tune-up for next month's Asian Cup, which is also being staged in the UAE.

Last year Afghanistan reached the T20 World Cup semifinals before losing to South Africa, a run to the the last four that underlined its strength in the shortest format of international cricket.

Seven T20 games over the next 10 days at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium will involve the teams competing against each other twice before the top two qualify for the Sept. 7 final.

The slow pitches of Sharjah Cricket Stadium are unlikely to produce any big scores — the 200-run mark has been crossed only four times in 41 T20 internationals at the 16,000-capacity stadium.

The slow nature of the pitches has encouraged Afghanistan to pack its squad with five spinners, including the uncapped AM Ghazanfar. Rashid Khan and mystery spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman have conceded fewer than six runs per over in a combined 23 T20s at Sharjah, while picking up 43 wickets.

Experienced allrounder Mohammad Nabi, who also bowls offspin, is rich with experience from playing in 25 T20s for Afghanistan at Sharjah, where he's taken 16 wickets at an impressive economy rate of 6.49.

Left-arm spinner Noor Ahmad had some impressive performances in IPL this season while representing Chennai Super Kings. The spin bowling attack is expected to pose some serious challenges to the rival batters.

Pakistan has its spin bases covered. Specialist spinners Abrar Ahmed and Sufiyan Muqeem are backed up by off-spinners Saim Ayub and captain Salman Ali Agha and left-armer Mohammad Nawaz. They're all capable of bowling a full quota of four overs in a T20 game, if the conditions favors slow bowling.

Pakistan's new limited-overs coach Mike Hesson has yet again ignored experienced veterans Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan as he searches for batters with better strike-rates upfront.

Babar and Rizwan haven't played an T20 international since December. Pakistan has instead given consistent chances to Sahibzada Farhan, Mohammad Haris and Saim Ayub to look out for quick runs in the batting powerplay as it builds a team for next year’s T20 World Cup.

Hesson wanted to see Babar not only improve his batting against spinners but also wanted him to score at a faster rate to regain his place in the T20 squad.

Pakistan has had mixed results over the last few months since Hesson was appointed coach. It started with Pakistan routing Bangladesh 3-0 at home before Bangladesh rallied to beat Pakistan 2-1 in the return series in Dhaka. Pakistan then won 2-1 against West Indies in Florida as Hesson experimented with batting and bowling combinations.

Uncapped left-handed batter Harshit Kaushik is among the four changes UAE has made after it lost to the hosts at the Pearl of Africa Cup in Uganda. Leg-spin allrounder Mohammad Farooq, who has nine wickets in 8 T20s, and fast bowlers Junaid Siddique and Mohammad Jawadullah are the others who've returned to the UAE squad.

Coach Lalchand Rajput believes that after winning a T20 series against Bangladesh at home in May, the UAE team has the ability to beat any other test playing nation in the shortest format.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

FILE - Gujarat Titans' Rashid Khan reacts after bowling a delivery during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Titans at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, India, Sunday, May 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup, File)

FILE - Afghanistan's captain Rashid Khan throws the ball to a teammate during the men's T20 World Cup semifinal cricket match between Afghanistan and South Africa at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, Trinidad and Tabago, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan, File)

KOHALA, Hawai‘i--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 15, 2026--

Kuleana Rum Works, the Hawai‘i-based distillery known for its additive-free, award-winning rums, today announced the release of “An Open Letter on Additive-Free Rum,” written by Founder & CEO Steve Jefferson, addressing why rum is now facing the same scrutiny and market shift that reshaped tequila a decade ago.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260107792953/en/

Consumers across spirits are demanding more honesty about how products are made. Additive-free labeling has already transformed tequila and is reshaping whiskey and RTDs. Drinkers now expect producers to protect natural flavor instead of masking it, and bartenders increasingly use transparency as a measure of quality. The letter positions rum as the next category entering this accountability cycle, as more consumers begin to question undisclosed sweeteners, flavorings and added color.

Tequila provides the clearest precedent. Producers who embraced additive-free methods helped premiumize the category, while brands relying on undisclosed additives now face growing skepticism. According to the letter, rum is approaching the same turning point. Jefferson explains that Kuleana Rum Works was founded on additive-free principles: growing heirloom Hawaiian kō (sugarcane), fermenting and distilling fresh juice at lower proof to preserve natural character, adding nothing after distillation and holding all blending partners to the same standards. Every rum — whether distilled in Hawai‘i or sourced — is verified additive-free through independent lab testing and supplier documentation.

“Consumer expectations are changing fast across spirits,” said Steve Jefferson, Founder and CEO of Kuleana Rum Works. “People want honesty in what they drink, and they’re rewarding producers who protect natural flavor rather than covering it up. Additive-free isn’t a trend — it’s becoming the standard, and rum is now facing that shift head-on.”

Additional detail in the letter underscores how production choices such as fresh juice fermentation, low-proof distillation and a strict no-additives policy create transparency and flavor integrity that align with what the market is valuing.

About Kuleana Rum Works

Founded on the island of Hawai‘i in 2013, Kuleana Rum Works crafts award-winning, additive-free rums — led by its signature Hawaiian Rum Agricole® — from fresh kō (heirloom Hawaiian sugarcane) grown on its regenerative Kohala farm. Now available in 17 states and Japan, Kuleana Rum Works champions excellence, transparency and community stewardship. Visit kuleanarum.com to learn more.

https://kuleanarum.com/additive-free/