Canada and the United Arab Emirates will look to bounce back from heavy opening defeats when they face off in a Group D clash of the T20 World Cup on Friday.

Placed in the so-called “Group of Death” alongside New Zealand, South Africa and Afghanistan, both associate nations face an uphill battle to reach the Super Eight stage. After disappointing starts, this contest could prove crucial in restoring confidence — if not keeping slim qualification hopes alive.

Canada, dominant in the Americas Regional Final with six wins from six matches, were brought back to earth by a 57-run defeat to South Africa. Their lack of high-quality match exposure over the past few months showed, particularly in the field, where sharp catches were offset by dropped chances and misfields.

Still, there were positives. Chasing a daunting 214, Canada showed resilience after early setbacks. Navneet Dhaliwal struck a fighting half-century, while Harsh Thaker impressed in the middle order. Left-arm wrist-spinner Ansh Patel was another bright spot, claiming key wickets including that of Aiden Markram.

“There’s a lot of positives to take,” Thaker said after the South Africa game. “Navneet’s innings and the way we rebuilt after losing four wickets was encouraging. Even with the ball, we weren’t that bad at the start — we just needed better execution.”

The UAE, meanwhile, suffered a 10-wicket thrashing at the hands of New Zealand. Despite that setback, the side has steadily grown into a competitive associate outfit in recent years, troubling several Full Member teams.

Captain Muhammad Waseem and Alishan Sharafu will once again shoulder the responsibility with the bat. With the ball, the UAE attack will need a sharper display after looking off-colour against the Kiwis. Left-arm spinner Haider Ali’s control in the middle overs and Junaid Siddique’s experience, particularly at the death, will be key.

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“I think we need to assess how to bowl — the right line and length, and bowl to the batter,” Waseem said after the defeat. “We’ll look to improve that in the next games.”

The UAE may also draw confidence from their previous T20 World Cup Qualifier meeting with Canada in 2019, when they secured a 14-run win.

With both teams seeking redemption, Friday’s clash offers a chance to reset their campaigns.

Squads (from):

Canada:
Dilpreet Bajwa (c), Ajayveer Hundal, Ansh Patel, Dilon Heyliger, Harsh Thaker, Jaskarandeep Singh, Kaleem Sana, Kanwarpal Tathgur, Navneet Dhaliwal, Nicholas Kirton, Ravinderpal Singh, Saad Bin Zafar, Shivam Sharma, Shreyas Movva, Yuvraj Samra.

UAE:
Muhammad Waseem (c), Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma, Dhruv Parashar, Haider Ali, Harshit Kaushik, Junaid Siddique, Mayank Kumar, Muhammad Arfan, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Haider Shah, Rohid Khan, Sohaib Khan, Simranjeet Singh.

Match starts at 3 pm.