Afghanistan National Cricket Team vs United Arab Emirates National Cricket Team Timeline: Complete Head-to-Head, Stats & Records (2014–2026)

Afghanistan lead UAE 15–6 across all official international cricket formats. The Afghanistan National Cricket Team vs United Arab Emirates National Cricket Team timeline stretches from a 2014 ODI in Kuala Lumpur to a 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup clash in Delhi -21 matches, two rising cricket nations, and a rivalry that has grown sharper with every edition. In T20 Internationals, Afghanistan lead 12–3 across 15 official matches. In ODIs, the record is a precise 3–3 split across 6 matches. Their only ICC Men’s T20 World Cup meeting came in February 2026, when Afghanistan won by 5 wickets in a Group D decider at Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi. This article covers every match, every key stat, every tactical pattern, and every individual and ICC official archives.

Data Classification: Understanding the Numbers

Before diving into match results, it is important to clarify how these numbers are counted -because mixing official T20Is with qualifier meetings is the most common error in cricket head-to-head content.

Classification	Matches	AFG Won	UAE Won
Official T20 Internationals	15	12	3
ODIs	6	3	3
Overall (all formats)	21	15	6

Match Classification Note: This timeline covers all official international matches between Afghanistan and UAE from 2014 to 2026. ICC qualifier-era T20 meetings are listed separately under the ICC Tournament section and excluded from the official T20I count to maintain statistical accuracy.

Quick-Answer Stats: Afghanistan vs UAE Head-to-Head

For anyone looking for fast, verified answers -here is the complete picture.

• Official T20I record: Afghanistan 12 wins, UAE 3 wins, from 15 matches
• ODI record: Afghanistan 3 wins, UAE 3 wins, from 6 matches
• Overall international record: Afghanistan 15–6
• Highest T20I total: Afghanistan 203/3 -Sharjah, December 29, 2023
• Highest UAE T20I total: 179/4 -Abu Dhabi, February 18, 2023
• Biggest T20I win by runs: Afghanistan by 72 runs -Sharjah, December 29, 2023
• Closest T20I finish: Afghanistan by 4 runs -Sharjah, September 5, 2025
• Only T20I century in this fixture: Rahmanullah Gurbaz -52-ball hundred, Sharjah, December 2023
• Leading T20I wicket-taker: Rashid Khan (AFG) -18 wickets at average 10.61
• Leading T20I run-scorer: Muhammad Waseem (UAE) -394 runs at average 49.25, SR 149.80
• World Cup meetings: 1 -Afghanistan won, Delhi, February 16, 2026

Complete T20I Results: All 15 Official Matches

The Afghanistan National Cricket Team vs United Arab Emirates National Cricket Team timeline in T20 Internationals covers 15 official matches from 2015 to 2026. Afghanistan have won 12 of those 15 -a dominant but not unchallenged record.

#	Date	Venue	Result	Margin
1	Jul 10, 2015	Edinburgh	AFG won	8 wickets
2	Feb 19, 2016	Fatullah	UAE won	16 runs
3	Dec 14, 2016	Dubai	AFG won	11 runs
4	Dec 16, 2016	Dubai	AFG won	5 wickets
5	Dec 18, 2016	Dubai	AFG won	44 runs
6	Jan 16, 2017	Abu Dhabi	AFG won	5 wickets
7	Feb 16, 2023	Abu Dhabi	AFG won	5 wickets
8	Feb 18, 2023	Abu Dhabi	UAE won	9 wickets
9	Feb 19, 2023	Abu Dhabi	AFG won	6 wickets
10	Dec 29, 2023	Sharjah	AFG won	72 runs
11	Dec 31, 2023	Sharjah	UAE won	11 runs
12	Jan 2, 2024	Sharjah	AFG won	4 wickets
13	Sep 1, 2025	Sharjah	AFG won	38 runs
14	Sep 5, 2025	Sharjah	AFG won	4 runs
15	Feb 16, 2026	Delhi	AFG won	5 wickets

Complete ODI Results: All 6 Official Matches

The ODI head-to-head is the most overlooked dimension of the Afghanistan vs UAE cricket rivalry. UAE won three consecutive ODIs in Dubai in late 2014 -their strongest sustained run against Afghanistan in any format.

#	Date	Venue	Result	Margin
1	May 2, 2014	Kuala Lumpur	AFG won	70 runs
2	Nov 28, 2014	Dubai	UAE won	5 wickets
3	Nov 30, 2014	Dubai	UAE won	6 wickets
4	Dec 2, 2014	Dubai	AFG won	2 wickets
5	Dec 4, 2014	Dubai	UAE won	30 runs
6	Mar 20, 2018	Harare	AFG won	5 wkts (93b rem)

The Dubai 2014 series -three UAE wins in six days -remains the clearest evidence that UAE are not T20I-only competitors against Afghanistan. On home pitches, in favorable conditions, UAE’s top-order depth and controlled bowling can dismantle Afghanistan across 50 overs.

Read More: New Zealand National Cricket Team Vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Timeline

Series-by-Series Breakdown

2016 Dubai T20I Series: Afghanistan’s First Dominant Statement

Series result: Afghanistan won 3–0

Afghanistan swept the December 2016 three-match T20I series in Dubai with margins of 11 runs, 5 wickets, and 44 runs. A fourth T20I in Abu Dhabi in January 2017 extended the run -another 5-wicket Afghanistan win. Dubai yielded zero UAE wins across all four matches. Rashid Khan was the key bowling threat throughout, and Afghanistan’s spin-dominated attack exposed UAE’s middle-order on slow surfaces.

Metric	Detail
Series result	AFG won 3–0
Margins	11 runs, 5 wickets, 44 runs
Venue	Dubai International Cricket Stadium
Key AFG bowler	Rashid Khan
Highest team score	AFG 189/5

2023 Abu Dhabi T20I Series: UAE’s Best Bilateral Performance

Series result: Afghanistan won 2–1

The February 2023 series in Abu Dhabi was the most closely contested bilateral T20I series in the Afghanistan National Cricket Team vs United Arab Emirates National Cricket Team timeline. UAE’s 9-wicket win in the second match -their largest margin of T20I victory over Afghanistan in history -is the single result that separates this series from every other. Afghanistan were dismissed for a low total and UAE’s openers dismantled the chase with authority. In the deciding third match, Afghanistan recovered to win by 6 wickets.

Match	Result	Margin
1st T20I	AFG won	5 wickets
2nd T20I	UAE won	9 wickets
3rd T20I	AFG won	6 wickets
Series	AFG 2–1	—

Key observation: UAE’s 9-wicket win in Abu Dhabi is the blueprint for how they can beat Afghanistan -restrict to a low total, then back their openers to chase freely. The problem is replicating those conditions consistently.

2023–24 Sharjah T20I Series: Highest Scoring Edition

Series result: Afghanistan won 2–1

The Sharjah series in late December 2023–January 2024 produced the three highest-scoring T20Is in this entire rivalry and the only individual century ever recorded between these sides.

Match	Scores	Result	Key Performer
1st T20I	AFG 203/3 vs UAE 131/4	AFG won by 72 runs	Gurbaz 100* (52b)
2nd T20I	UAE 166/7 vs AFG 155 ao	UAE won by 11 runs	Ali Naseer (bowling)
3rd T20I	UAE 126/9 vs AFG 128/6	AFG won by 4 wkts	Naveen-ul-Haq 4/20
Series	AFG 2–1	—	—

Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s 52-ball hundred in the first match is the standout individual batting performance in AFG vs UAE T20I history. In the second match, Afghanistan collapsed chasing 166 -losing all 10 wickets for 155, a middle-order failure that UAE’s disciplined bowling engineered. The third match was won off the last few overs -a proper contest. Gurbaz scored 141 runs across the series at a strike rate of 169.88.

2025 Tri-Series, Sharjah: The World Cup Rehearsal

Series result: Afghanistan won both matches

Two T20Is in the UAE T20I Tri-Series (alongside Pakistan) at Sharjah -September 2025 -gave both sides their final meeting before the T20 World Cup.

Match	Result	Margin	Key Performer
Sep 1, 2025	AFG won	38 runs	Sharafuddin Ashraf
Sep 5, 2025	AFG won	4 runs	Ibrahim Zadran 48 (35b)

The 4-run finish on September 5 is the closest margin in the entire T20I history between these nations. UAE needed 5 runs from the final over and could not execute. That is not a comfortable Afghanistan win -it is a match decided by a single over under pressure.

2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup: Delhi

The biggest stage in Afghanistan vs UAE cricket history.

Innings	Score	Key Performer
UAE batting	160/9 (20 overs)	Sohaib Khan 68 (48b)
AFG bowling	—	Omarzai 4/15
AFG batting	162/5 (19.2 overs)	Omarzai 40* (21b)
Result	AFG won by 5 wickets	—

Sohaib Khan’s 68 off 48 balls was UAE’s best individual T20 World Cup innings in this fixture -a performance that barely registered in wider cricket coverage but kept UAE competitive deep into their innings. Azmatullah Omarzai then took 4/15 to remove UAE’s lower order, before returning with the bat to score 40 not out off 21 balls when Afghanistan were struggling at 120/5. The win kept Afghanistan’s Super 8 hopes alive in Group D.

Key Player Records

Top Batters -T20I (Verified)

Player	Team	Innings	Runs	Avg	SR	100s	50s
Muhammad Waseem	UAE	8	394	49.25	149.80	0	3
Rahmanullah Gurbaz	AFG	3	141	—	169.88	1	1
Rohan Mustafa	UAE	12	112	—	—	0	0
Ibrahim Zadran	AFG	3	86	—	106.17	0	0
Alishan Sharafu	UAE	6	81	—	—	0	0

Muhammad Waseem’s 394 T20I runs at 49.25 make him the single most valuable batter in the Afghanistan vs UAE T20I timeline -and UAE’s most dependable weapon against Afghanistan’s bowling attack across all 15 matches.

Top Bowlers -T20I (Verified)

Bowler	Team	Wickets	Avg	Best Figures
Rashid Khan	AFG	18	10.61	—
Naveen-ul-Haq	AFG	—	—	4/20
Azmatullah Omarzai	AFG	—	—	4/15
Junaid Siddique	UAE	7	—	—
Ali Naseer	UAE	5	—	—

Rashid Khan’s 18 wickets at 10.61 is the defining bowling statistic in this entire rivalry -no other bowler from either side is remotely close in both volume and average. The two best single-match bowling performances are Naveen-ul-Haq’s 4/20 (Sharjah, January 2024) and Omarzai’s 4/15 (Delhi, T20 World Cup 2026). UAE’s leading bowler, Junaid Siddique, has taken 7 wickets -productive, but without a defining match-winning performance in a knockout context.

Venue Analysis

Venue	T20I Played	AFG Wins	UAE Wins
Sharjah Cricket Stadium	5	4	1
Abu Dhabi (Zayed Stadium)	4	3	1
Dubai International CC	3	3	0
Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi	1	1	0
Edinburgh (Grange CC)	1	1	0
Fatullah, Bangladesh	1	0	1

Dubai is the only venue where Afghanistan holds a perfect record -3 from 3. Both of UAE’s bilateral T20I wins came at Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. The data does not support the idea of a meaningful UAE home advantage in T20Is against Afghanistan. Afghanistan use UAE as a base themselves and are tactically comfortable on these surfaces.

Tactical Analysis: Why Afghanistan Lead 12–3

The Rashid Khan Structural Advantage

Rashid Khan’s 18 T20I wickets at 10.61 against UAE reflect a structural mismatch, not individual brilliance alone. UAE’s middle-order batters show a consistent technical gap against wrist spin -specifically against leg-breaks that grip and turn on slowing UAE surfaces. Afghanistan deployed Rashid in overs 7–15, precisely when UAE’s middle order was at the crease. The pattern replicates across every bilateral series.

Chase Conversion Rate

Afghanistan have won 9 of their 12 T20I victories against UAE while batting second. UAE have won once batting second in the entire 2015–2026 period. Afghanistan’s finishing depth -Azmatullah Omarzai, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi -consistently resolves pressure situations in the final five overs. UAE’s equivalent positions do not carry the same finishing power.

UAE’s 170 Scoring Threshold

Every UAE T20I win against Afghanistan has followed the same pattern -batting first and posting 166 or above:

UAE First-Innings Score	Venue	Result
179/4 -Feb 2023	Abu Dhabi	UAE won by 9 wkts
176/? -Feb 2016	Fatullah	UAE won by 16 runs
166/7 -Dec 2023	Sharjah	UAE won by 11 runs
Below 160 in all other matches	Various	AFG won

In every match where UAE posted below 160 batting first -or batted second -they have not won once across 12 such instances. This is the clearest tactical pattern in the Afghanistan National Cricket Team vs United Arab Emirates National Cricket Team timeline. When UAE failed to reach the 166–170 range, their bowling, regardless of quality, was not enough to defend or restrict Afghanistan.

ICC Tournament Meetings: Separate Record

These matches are listed independently and are not counted in the official T20I bilateral record.

Tournament	Year	Venue	Result
ICC WT20 Qualifier	2015	Edinburgh	AFG won by 8 wkts
Asia Cup Qualifier	2016	Fatullah	UAE won by 16 runs
ICC Men’s T20 WC 2026	2026	Delhi	AFG won by 5 wkts

Afghanistan have won 3 of 4 ICC tournament meetings against UAE. Their only tournament loss came in 2016 at Fatullah -UAE’s best all-round performance across all formats against Afghanistan, where both batting and bowling clicked in a pressure environment simultaneously.

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