Pakistan National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Timeline | Epic Rivalry History Revealed

The Pakistan national cricket team vs Afghanistan national cricket team timeline is one of cricket’s most surprising stories. Two neighboring countries. One shared love for the game. And a rivalry that has grown bigger, louder, and more competitive with every passing year.

Pakistan has always been the stronger side. But Afghanistan keeps pushing. They have upset Pakistan in major tournaments. They have won bilateral series. And they now sit above Pakistan in ICC ODI rankings.

This article covers every match, every milestone, and every key moment in this growing rivalry from 2012 to 2026.

Pakistan vs Afghanistan Head-to-Head Record

Overall Record

Pakistan leads the all-time head-to-head 15–6. But the gap is closing fast — especially in T20I cricket, where Afghanistan has become a genuine threat.

ODI Head-to-Head

Pakistan leads ODIs 9–2. Afghanistan’s biggest ODI win came at the 2023 ICC World Cup in Chennai — a result that shocked the entire cricket world.

T20I Head-to-Head

T20I record: Pakistan 6 – Afghanistan 4. Since 2022, Afghanistan has won 4 of 7 T20Is — a trend that demands attention.

Match-by-Match Results Table (2012–2026)

Source: ESPNcricinfo official records, updated through 2025.

Complete Pakistan National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Timeline (2012–2026)

The Pakistan national cricket team vs Afghanistan national cricket team timeline began in 2012 as a routine international fixture. Few people expected it to turn into cricket’s most surprising rivalry. Over 14 years, it has produced last-ball finishes, World Cup upsets, historic firsts, and a complete shift in how the world sees Afghan cricket.

Here is the full story — match by match.

February 10, 2012 – First ODI Meeting (Sharjah)

This was the day the rivalry officially began. Pakistan won by 7 wickets, chasing Afghanistan’s total with 13 overs to spare. Afghanistan were still an Associate nation at this point — they had just earned ODI status. For them, playing Pakistan was a dream. For Pakistan, it felt like a routine fixture.

But something important happened that day. Afghan players showed spirit. They competed with pride. And they planted a seed that would grow over the next decade. The margin was big, but the match mattered. It was the first chapter of a long story.

November 5, 2013 – First T20I Clash (Sharjah)

Pakistan won by 11 runs in the first-ever T20I between these two sides. Again, the result was not close. But Afghanistan’s fans filled the Sharjah stands. They brought noise, color, and passion. Sharjah was quickly becoming Afghanistan’s adopted home ground — a place where they felt comfortable and supported.

Pakistan controlled the game comfortably. Yet Afghan batters showed flashes of aggression. Their spin bowlers caused some trouble. The T20I format would later become Afghanistan’s strongest weapon against Pakistan, and this match was the quiet beginning of that journey.

September 21, 2018 – Asia Cup Thriller

This match changed how the cricket world viewed Afghanistan. Pakistan won by just 3 wickets — but the margin hides how dominant Afghanistan were for long stretches. Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, and Mujeeb ur Rahman formed one of the most dangerous spin attacks in world cricket. Together, they strangled Pakistan’s batting through the middle overs.

Pakistan scraped through. Afghanistan did not win. But they won the attention of every cricket analyst watching. This was no longer a mismatch. This was a genuine contest. The 2018 Asia Cup was the moment Afghanistan announced themselves as a serious force — at least with the ball.

October 29, 2021 – ICC T20 World Cup

Pakistan won by 5 wickets in Dubai during the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. What made this match remarkable was the context. Afghanistan had already beaten India in the same tournament. They came into the Pakistan match full of confidence and momentum.

Pakistan won — but it was not easy. Afghanistan’s spin trio caused problems again. Their batting, however, still let them down at crucial moments. They could restrict teams but could not consistently chase targets. That was the final weakness left in Afghan cricket — and franchise leagues around the world were already helping them fix it.

September 7, 2022 – Asia Cup Classic

This is one of the most dramatic matches in the entire Pakistan national cricket team vs Afghanistan national cricket team timeline. Pakistan won by just 1 wicket with 2 balls remaining.

Afghanistan bowled brilliantly. Fazalhaq Farooqi bowled the final over with Pakistan needing big runs. Pakistan were 7 wickets down. The match looked gone. Then Naseem Shah — a fast bowler batting at number 10 — hit two back-to-back sixes to win the game. The Sharjah crowd went into a frenzy.

Most people remembered this as the Naseem Shah show. But the real story was Afghanistan. They had outplayed Pakistan for most of the match. They came within two balls of a famous win. The 1-wicket margin revealed a truth: this rivalry was no longer one-sided.

March 24, 2023 – Afghanistan’s Historic First T20I Win

March 24, 2023 is the most important date in this rivalry’s history. Afghanistan beat Pakistan for the very first time in any international match. They won by 6 wickets in Sharjah. It was not close. Pakistan’s bowling attack — usually their strength — was outclassed.

Afghan batters chased the target with ease. The dressing room celebrated like they had won a World Cup. And in many ways, it felt like one. Years of hard work, franchise cricket exposure, and growing confidence had produced this moment. Afghanistan proved they were no longer underdogs when facing Pakistan in T20 cricket.

March 26, 2023 – Afghanistan Takes the Series

Two days later, Afghanistan did it again. They won the 2nd T20I by 7 wickets, clinching the bilateral series 2–0. It was the first time any team had won a bilateral T20I series against Pakistan on UAE soil while ranked outside the top three.

Pakistan looked stunned. Their batters struggled. Their bowlers had no answers. Afghanistan played with structure, skill, and total confidence. Rashid Khan led his team with experience. The younger batters executed the game plan perfectly. This series win was a watershed moment — not just for Afghanistan, but for Associate cricket as a whole.

March 27, 2023 – Pakistan Avoids Whitewash

Pakistan won the 3rd T20I by 66 runs — a comfortable win that came too late to matter. The series was already lost. This was a consolation result. Pakistan’s pride drove them to this performance, but the damage was done.

Afghanistan’s series victory had already made headlines around the world. A 66-run Pakistan win in the dead rubber could not change that narrative. The 2023 Sharjah T20I series will always be remembered as the moment Afghanistan truly arrived as Pakistan’s equals in short-format cricket.

August 22, 2023 – ODI Series Opener

Pakistan traveled to Sri Lanka for a bilateral ODI series against Afghanistan. They won the first match in Hambantota by 142 runs — their biggest-ever margin of victory against Afghanistan. Pakistan’s batting lineup fired on all cylinders. Afghanistan’s bowlers had no answers on the day.

It looked like Pakistan were back in control. But cricket often hides its surprises in the next game. The 142-run win gave Pakistan false confidence heading into the second match — a match that would produce yet another last-ball escape.

August 24, 2023 – Pakistan Clinches the Series

Pakistan won by 1 wicket with 1 ball remaining. Sound familiar? This was the second time in successive bilateral series that Pakistan needed a last-ball miracle against Afghanistan’s bowling attack. Afghanistan had Pakistan pinned down. Their bowlers created pressure throughout the innings.

Pakistan survived — but barely. This recurring pattern was not a coincidence. Afghanistan’s bowling attack was specifically engineered to create exactly this kind of pressure. Pakistan kept escaping, but analysts noted the trend. Sooner or later, Pakistan would not find a way out. That moment came at the World Cup.

August 26, 2023 – Pakistan Completes ODI Sweep

Pakistan won the final ODI in Colombo by 59 runs, completing a 3–0 series sweep. They flew to India for the World Cup with momentum and a clean scoresheet against Afghanistan. The 3–0 win looked reassuring on paper.

But two of those three victories had come by razor-thin margins. Pakistan’s team management chose not to examine that warning closely enough. Six weeks later in Chennai, Afghanistan would make them pay for that oversight in the biggest way possible.

October 23, 2023 – Afghanistan’s Historic World Cup Victory

This is the match that changed everything. At the ICC ODI World Cup in Chennai, Afghanistan beat Pakistan by 8 wickets. It was not close. It was not a fluke. It was a complete, dominant performance that effectively ended Pakistan’s semifinal hopes.

Pakistan posted 282/7 — a competitive total. Afghanistan chased it down with 1 over to spare. Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored 65 at the top. Rahmat Shah anchored the middle with 77. Ibrahim Zadran top-scored with 87, the highest individual score in this entire rivalry’s history. The three of them batted with a calm that shocked Pakistani fans worldwide.

The common reaction was to call it a “shock.” But it was not. Afghanistan’s T20I record against Pakistan, their growing ODI capability, and their franchise cricket experience had been pointing toward this moment for over a year. The 3–0 ODI series win in Sri Lanka had simply created a misleading baseline.

This win ended Pakistan’s World Cup campaign in practical terms. A team whose founding players had learned cricket in Pakistani refugee camps had knocked Pakistan out on cricket’s biggest stage.

2024 Meetings and Results

No bilateral series between Pakistan and Afghanistan took place in 2024. The two sides did not meet in any major ICC tournament during this period either. The rivalry took a brief pause — but the competitive fire stayed burning on both sides.

Pakistan used this period to rebuild squad depth and address middle-order fragility. Afghanistan continued to develop their batting unit through franchise leagues. The IPL, BBL, CPL, and PSL all featured Afghan players heavily in 2024, giving their batters and bowlers high-pressure international exposure at the highest domestic level.

2025 Meetings and Results

The rivals met three times in the UAE T20I Tri-Series 2025, hosted in Sharjah. The series featured a third team alongside Pakistan and Afghanistan.

• August 29, 2025: Pakistan won by 39 runs — a comfortable victory where their bowling attack dominated.
• September 2, 2025: Afghanistan won by 18 runs — confirming once again that on any neutral day, they are Pakistan’s equals in T20 cricket.
• September 7, 2025 (Final): Pakistan won by 75 runs — claiming the tri-series trophy.

Pakistan won the trophy. But Afghanistan’s mid-series win at the same venue, in identical conditions, sent the clearest possible message: the gap between these two sides in T20 cricket is essentially gone.

A significant event also overshadowed 2025. Afghanistan withdrew from a planned bilateral series hosted in Pakistan after three Afghan cricketers were killed in a cross-border attack in the Urgun district. Zimbabwe replaced Afghanistan in that tournament. The ACB and ICC both issued official statements. The incident added a geopolitical dimension to this rivalry that no other bilateral cricket matchup carries.

2026 Latest Match Update

As of June 2026, no new matches have been confirmed between Pakistan and Afghanistan in the immediate schedule. The geopolitical situation between the two countries continues to add uncertainty to future bilateral planning.

However, both teams are expected to meet at upcoming ICC events. The ICC rankings picture as of June 2026 makes this the most anticipated fixture in Asian cricket:

• Afghanistan ICC ODI Ranking: 7th
• Pakistan ICC ODI Ranking: 8th

For the first time in history, Afghanistan ranks above Pakistan in ODI cricket. When these two sides next meet — whether in a bilateral series or a major ICC tournament — the match will carry the weight of an entirely new dynamic.

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Most Memorable Pakistan vs Afghanistan Matches

• Asia Cup 2022 (Sep 7): Naseem Shah’s two sixes off the last two balls gave Pakistan a 1-wicket win. One of the most dramatic finishes in T20 history.
• March 24, 2023 – 1st T20I Sharjah: Afghanistan’s first-ever win against Pakistan. A historic 6-wicket victory that rewrote cricket history.
• October 23, 2023 – ICC ODI World Cup, Chennai: Afghanistan’s 8-wicket demolition effectively knocked Pakistan out of the 2023 World Cup. Ibrahim Zadran’s 87, Gurbaz’s 65, and Rahmat Shah’s 77 made it look effortless.
• Asia Cup 2018 (Sep 21): Pakistan won by 3 wickets, but Rashid, Nabi, and Mujeeb bowled Pakistan to the edge. The match that first proved Afghanistan could genuinely threaten Pakistan.
• ICC T20 World Cup 2021 (Oct 29): Afghanistan came in after beating India. Pakistan held on with a 5-wicket win — but Afghanistan’s bowling impressed the entire cricket world.
• August 24, 2023 – 2nd ODI, Hambantota: Pakistan won with 1 ball to spare. Another last-ball escape in a pattern that kept repeating itself.
• September 2, 2025 – UAE Tri-Series: Afghanistan won by 18 runs in Sharjah — a result that reminded everyone the rivalry remains completely open.

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Pakistan vs Afghanistan Records

Key Players Who Defined the Rivalry

Afghanistan’s Match-Winners

• Rashid Khan — The heartbeat of Afghan cricket. His leg-spin has troubled every Pakistan batter at some point. He reached the No. 1 ICC ODI bowling ranking in October 2025. More than just a bowler — he leads, inspires, and changes games.
• Fazalhaq Farooqi — Left-arm pace at its most dangerous. Farooqi has bowled Pakistan to the edge in multiple games. His final-over bowling in the 2022 Asia Cup nearly sealed an Afghan win before Naseem’s sixes.
• Rahmanullah Gurbaz — Explosive opening batter who scored 65 in the 2023 World Cup chase. His IPL and BBL experience transformed him into a match-winner at the top of the order.
• Ibrahim Zadran — Holds the highest individual score in this rivalry with 87 in Chennai. A composed, technically sound batter who played the World Cup innings of his life.
• Rahmat Shah — The anchor of Afghanistan’s batting. His 77 in the 2023 World Cup chase went largely unnoticed because Zadran and Gurbaz got the headlines — but Rahmat’s knock was the glue.
• Azmatullah Omarzai — All-round brilliance. Reached No. 1 ICC ODI all-rounder ranking in October 2025. Can contribute with both bat and ball in pressure situations.
• Mohammad Nabi — Senior statesman of Afghan cricket. Has been a reliable spin all-rounder in this rivalry since the 2018 Asia Cup.
• Mujeeb ur Rahman — His mystery spin caused Pakistan’s batting lineup serious problems in the 2018 Asia Cup. Still one of the most difficult bowlers to read in world cricket.

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Pakistan’s Key Performers

• Naseem Shah — His two back-to-back sixes in the 2022 Asia Cup final over became one of cricket’s most iconic moments. Primarily a fast bowler, but his batting heroics defined one of this rivalry’s greatest matches.
• Babar Azam — Pakistan’s batting anchor. Scored 74 in the 2023 World Cup — in a losing cause. His runs gave Pakistan something to defend, but Afghanistan chased it down anyway.
• Abdullah Shafique — Contributed 58 in the 2023 World Cup total of 282. A reliable opening batter who performed at a key moment.
• Mohammad Rizwan — Consistent wicketkeeper-batter who has provided stability through middle-order crises in multiple matches against Afghanistan.

Pakistan vs Afghanistan Rivalry – What Makes It Special?

Pakistan vs Afghanistan is one of the fastest-growing rivalries in international cricket. What started as a one-sided contest has become a highly competitive matchup, with Afghanistan challenging Pakistan in both ODI and T20I cricket. Close matches, passionate fans, and memorable performances have made every meeting exciting. Today, this rivalry means more than just winning matches. It shows how much Afghanistan cricket has grown and leads to some of the most exciting games in world cricket.

Conclusion

The Pakistan national cricket team vs Afghanistan national cricket team timeline tells one of sport’s most powerful stories. Pakistan leads 15–6 overall. But numbers from 14 years of cricket do not reflect what is happening right now. Afghanistan wins T20Is against Pakistan more often than not. They beat Pakistan in a World Cup. They rank above Pakistan in ODI cricket. And they achieved all of this in just over a decade of full international cricket.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

When did Pakistan and Afghanistan first officially play each other?

Pakistan and Afghanistan first played an official international match in 2012. Since then, their matchups have become more intense and competitive. This is especially true for T20I cricket, mostly played in the UAE.

How many times has Afghanistan beaten Pakistan in international cricket?

Afghanistan has beaten Pakistan 5 times in 18 matches across all formats — 4 times in T20Is and once in ODIs. The historic ODI win came during the 2023 ICC World Cup in Chennai, which was Afghanistan’s most famous victory.

Who is the most dangerous player for Afghanistan against Pakistan?

Rashid Khan is Afghanistan’s most threatening player against Pakistan. His leg-spin variations, particularly the googly, have dismissed top Pakistan batters repeatedly. Ibrahim Zadran’s batting in the 2023 World Cup was equally match-defining.

What is the most memorable match between Pakistan and Afghanistan?

The Asia Cup 2022 T20 finish is considered the most dramatic — Naseem Shah hit two last-over sixes for Pakistan. However, Afghanistan’s 8-wicket ODI win in the 2023 World Cup is regarded as the most historically significant result.

Will Pakistan and Afghanistan ever play a Test match against each other?

No Test match has been played between Pakistan and Afghanistan yet. As Afghanistan improves in Test cricket, a future bilateral Test series is likely. This would be a landmark event for both nations.