New Delhi, Feb. 9 -- A day before UAE's ICC Men's T20 World Cup fixture against New Zealand, Emirates Cricket Board have sent batter Muhammad Zohaib back home for "disciplinary reasons".

UAE are set to face New Zealand in Chennai for their first World Cup game since 2022 on Tuesday, as ESPNcricinfo reported.

The UAE's top-order batter loss puts pressure on their lineup, which was recently bowled out for 81 against Italy on Friday. Zohaib, who batted at No. 9 in that game, had previously scored 19 off 26 balls at No. 3 against Nepal.

The team has settled on 21-year-old Aryansh Sharma to partner with captain Muhammad Waseem at the top. Zohaib made his debut for UAE in May 2025. He's played 16 T20Is and scored 303 runs at an average of 20...