Pakistan vs Afghanistan Cricket Timeline: Complete Head-to-Head History (2012–2025)
The Pakistan national cricket team vs afghanistan national cricket team timeline stretches from a one-sided Sharjah ODI in 2012 to one of modern cricket’s most compelling rivalries. Pakistan leads the overall head-to-head 13–5 across 18 official internationals-8 ODIs and 10 T20Is. Afghanistan recorded their first ODI win against Pakistan at the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup in Chennai, chasing 283 with eight wickets remaining in 44.4 overs. What started as a formality has become a genuine contest.
Pakistan vs Afghanistan Quick Stats Hub
Pakistan and Afghanistan have played 18 official matches-8 ODIs and 10 T20Is-since their first meeting in February 2012. Pakistan leads 13–5 overall, including a 7–1 advantage in ODIs. Afghanistan have won 4 of their 5 victories in T20I cricket, with their T20I record sitting at 4–6 against Pakistan through September 2025.
| Record | Detail |
| Total Matches | 18 (8 ODI + 10 T20I) |
| Pakistan Wins | 13 |
| Afghanistan Wins | 5 |
| First Match | Feb 10, 2012-Sharjah (ODI) |
| Pakistan ODI Record | 7–1 |
| Pakistan T20I Record | 6–4 |
| Pakistan Highest ODI Total | 282/7 (Oct 23, 2023-Chennai) |
| Afghanistan Highest ODI Total | 286/2 (Oct 23, 2023-Chennai) |
| Afghanistan Lowest ODI Total vs PAK | 59 all out (Aug 22, 2023-Hambantota) |
| Afghanistan Lowest T20I Total vs PAK | 66 all out (Sep 7, 2025-Sharjah) |
| Biggest Pakistan ODI Win | 142 runs-Hambantota, Aug 2023 |
| Biggest Pakistan T20I Win | 75 runs-Sharjah Final, Sep 2025 |
| First Afghanistan ODI Win | Oct 23, 2023-ICC World Cup, Chennai |
| Most T20I Wickets (2025 Tri-Series) | Mohammad Nawaz-10 wickets |
Complete Match-by-Match Results
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The full pakistan national cricket team vs afghanistan national cricket team match history covers 18 games across two formats, all played on neutral venues. Neither team has hosted the other on home soil in an official bilateral series.
ODI Results-All 8 Matches (2012–2023)
| # | Date | Venue | Winner | Margin | Event |
| 1 | Feb 10, 2012 | Sharjah | Pakistan | 7 wickets | One-off ODI |
| 2 | Feb 27, 2014 | Fatullah | Pakistan | 72 runs | Asia Cup 2014 |
| 3 | Sep 21, 2018 | Abu Dhabi | Pakistan | 3 wickets | Asia Cup 2018 Super 4 |
| 4 | Jun 29, 2019 | Leeds | Pakistan | 3 wickets | ICC World Cup 2019 |
| 5 | Aug 22, 2023 | Hambantota | Pakistan | 142 runs | ODI Series, 1st ODI |
| 6 | Aug 24, 2023 | Hambantota | Pakistan | 1 wicket | ODI Series, 2nd ODI |
| 7 | Aug 26, 2023 | Colombo | Pakistan | 59 runs | ODI Series, 3rd ODI |
| 8 | Oct 23, 2023 | Chennai | Afghanistan | 8 wickets | ICC World Cup 2023 |
Pakistan leads ODI head-to-head 7–1. The one Afghanistan win came at the biggest stage possible-an ICC World Cup group stage match.
T20I Results-All 10 Matches (2014–2025)
| # | Date | Venue | Winner | Margin | Event |
| 1 | Feb 2014 | Sharjah | Pakistan | — | One-off T20I |
| 2 | Mar 27, 2016 | Kolkata | Pakistan | — | ICC World Twenty20 2016 |
| 3 | Sep 21, 2018 | Dubai | Pakistan | — | Asia Cup 2018 Super 4 |
| 4 | Oct 29, 2021 | Dubai | Pakistan | — | ICC T20 World Cup 2021 |
| 5 | Dec 07, 2021 | Sharjah | Pakistan | 1 wicket | One-off T20I |
| 6 | Sep 07, 2022 | Sharjah | Pakistan | 1 wicket | Asia Cup 2022 Super 4 |
| 7 | Oct 06, 2023 | Hangzhou | Afghanistan | 4 wickets | Asian Games 2023 SF |
| 8 | Aug 29, 2025 | Sharjah | Pakistan | 39 runs | UAE T20I Tri-Series, Match 1 |
| 9 | Sep 02, 2025 | Sharjah | Afghanistan | 18 runs | UAE T20I Tri-Series, Match 4 |
| 10 | Sep 07, 2025 | Sharjah | Pakistan | 75 runs | UAE T20I Tri-Series Final |
Pakistan leads T20I head-to-head 6–4. Afghanistan have won 3 of their 4 T20I victories in 2023–2025 alone, signalling a clear competitive shift in the shorter format.
Phase-by-Phase Rivalry Evolution
Understanding the pakistan national cricket team vs afghanistan national cricket team timeline requires looking at it in three distinct phases rather than a single head-to-head number. The story changes dramatically across each period.
Phase 1-2012 to 2018: Pakistan Win Every Match
Pakistan won all six meetings in this phase without losing a single game. Afghanistan were still building their Full Member infrastructure and had limited exposure to high-pressure international cricket at this level. The 2018 Asia Cup ODI in Abu Dhabi was the closest result-Pakistan scraped home by 3 wickets off the penultimate ball chasing 257/6-but still won. Afghanistan had a growing spin attack. They did not yet have the batting depth or match management skills to close out games.
Phase 2-2019 to 2022: Every Match Goes to the Final Overs
Three of the four matches in this phase ended with Pakistan winning by 1–3 wickets or off the last two balls. The 2019 ICC World Cup in Leeds saw Pakistan chase 227 with just 2 balls to spare. The 2022 Asia Cup T20I in Sharjah saw Pakistan reduced to 129/9 chasing 130, needing 3 runs from 3 balls with their No. 10 batter at the crease. Afghanistan were regularly pushing Pakistan to the edge-but still losing.
Phase 3-2023 to 2025: Afghanistan Win Five Times Across Two Years
This is where the Pakistan vs Afghanistan cricket rivalry fundamentally changed. Afghanistan won the 2023 UAE T20I series 2–1, the 2023 Asian Games semi-final by 4 wickets, and the 2023 ICC World Cup ODI by 8 wickets. Pakistan won the 2025 UAE T20I Tri-Series Final by 75 runs. Phase 3 head-to-head stands at Pakistan 4, Afghanistan 3-almost level.
Three Matches That Defined This Rivalry
These are not just memorable games. Each one directly shifted the trajectory of the pakistan national cricket team vs afghanistan national cricket team competition.
Asia Cup 2022, Sharjah-The Naseem Shah Game
Afghanistan posted 129/6 in 20 overs. Pakistan, chasing 130, collapsed to 129/9-requiring 3 runs off 3 balls with Naseem Shah, their No. 10, at the crease. Fazalhaq Farooqi bowled a full toss on ball one. Naseem hit it for six. Farooqi bowled another full toss on ball two. Naseem hit that for six as well. Pakistan reached 131/9 and won by 1 wicket. Afghanistan had needed to concede only 2 runs off 3 balls and conceded 12.
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ODI 2023, Hambantota-Afghanistan’s Lowest Total Against Pakistan
Pakistan posted 201 batting first. Afghanistan were bowled out for 59 all out in 18.3 overs-the lowest ODI total ever made against Pakistan by any international team. Pakistan won by 142 runs. The match confirmed that Afghanistan’s batting order, despite its top-order talent, remained fragile under disciplined pace bowling in Asian conditions.
ICC World Cup 2023, Chennai-Afghanistan’s Landmark Win
Pakistan batted first and posted 282/7. Afghanistan chased it down in 44.4 overs, losing only 2 wickets. Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored 65 off 53 balls. Ibrahim Zadran made 87 off 113. Rahmat Shah finished unbeaten on 77. This was Afghanistan’s first-ever ODI victory against Pakistan in eight attempts and remains their highest successful ODI chase. It was one of the most complete batting performances by Afghanistan in World Cup history.
Top Batting Performances in the Rivalry
Afghanistan’s most consistent ODI performers against Pakistan have been their opening pair-Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran-both of whom have produced match-winning scores in the 2023 series and World Cup.
Landmark Individual Scores
| Player | Team | Score | Match | Result for Team |
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | Afghanistan | 151 | Aug 24, 2023-Hambantota | Lost (Pakistan won by 1 wkt) |
| Ibrahim Zadran | Afghanistan | 87 | Oct 23, 2023-Chennai | Won |
| Rahmat Shah | Afghanistan | 77* | Oct 23, 2023-Chennai | Won |
| Babar Azam | Pakistan | 74 | Oct 23, 2023-Chennai | Lost |
| Hashmatullah Shahidi | Afghanistan | 48* | Oct 23, 2023-Chennai | Won |
Gurbaz’s 151 at Hambantota came in a match Pakistan won by one wicket-the second-highest ODI score ever made by an Afghanistan batter. The Gurbaz–Zadran partnership of 227 in that same match is the highest opening stand by Afghanistan against Pakistan in ODI cricket.
T20I Leading Run Scorers (Career, vs Pakistan)
| Rank | Player | Team | Runs |
| 1 | Mohammad Nabi | Afghanistan | 119 |
| 2 | Najibullah Zadran | Afghanistan | 110 |
| 3 | Shadab Khan | Pakistan | 108 |
| 4 | Rahmanullah Gurbaz | Afghanistan | 105 |
| 5 | Imad Wasim | Pakistan | 95 |
Top Bowling Performances in the Rivalry
Pakistan’s most decisive bowling performances have come in ODI cricket, where their pace attack has twice bowled Afghanistan out for under 65 runs-a pattern with no parallel in T20I cricket between the two sides.
UAE T20I Tri-Series 2025-Wicket Leaders (All Matches)
| Rank | Player | Team | Wickets |
| 1 | Mohammad Nawaz | Pakistan | 10 |
| 2 | Rashid Khan | Afghanistan | 9 |
| 3 | Abrar Ahmed | Pakistan | 6 |
T20I Series 2023 (UAE)-Wicket Leaders
| Rank | Player | Team | Wickets |
| 1 | Ihsanullah | Pakistan | 6 |
| 2 | Fazalhaq Farooqi | Afghanistan | 5 |
| 3 | Mujeeb Ur Rahman | Afghanistan | 4 |
| 4 | Shadab Khan | Pakistan | 3 |
Mohammad Nawaz’s hat-trick and 5/19 in the 2025 UAE Tri-Series Final-which dismissed Afghanistan for 66-is the best bowling performance in this rivalry’s T20I history.
Venue-Wise Performance Analysis
All 18 matches in the pakistan national cricket team vs afghanistan national cricket team timeline have been played on neutral venues. Sharjah has hosted 6 of the 18 matches-more than any other ground-and is the only venue where Afghanistan have won a T20I against Pakistan.
| Venue | Matches | PAK Wins | AFG Wins | Key Result |
| Sharjah | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2022 Asia Cup 1-wkt thriller, 2025 Final |
| Hambantota | 2 | 2 | 0 | Afghanistan’s lowest ODI total (59) recorded here |
| Chennai | 1 | 0 | 1 | Afghanistan’s landmark 8-wkt ODI World Cup win |
| Dubai | 2 | 2 | 0 | ICC T20 WC 2021, Asia Cup 2018 T20I |
| Abu Dhabi | 1 | 1 | 0 | Asia Cup 2018 ODI |
| Leeds | 1 | 1 | 0 | ICC World Cup 2019 |
| Hangzhou | 1 | 0 | 1 | Asian Games 2023 SF |
| Fatullah | 1 | 1 | 0 | Asia Cup 2014 |
| Colombo | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2023 ODI Series, 3rd match |
ODI vs T20I: Tactical Format Comparison
In ODIs, Pakistan hold a commanding 7–1 record. In T20Is, the gap is far smaller at 6–4. The format difference reflects a genuine tactical contrast between the two sides in conditions, bowling strategy, and batting construction.
| Dimension | ODI (Pakistan Edge) | T20I (Competitive) |
| Head-to-head | Pakistan 7–1 | Pakistan 6–4 |
| Pakistan bowling strength | Pace depth-Shaheen, Naseem, Hasan | Death bowling accuracy in pressure finals |
| Afghanistan bowling strength | Spin trio effective in middle overs | Rashid Khan, Mujeeb, Noor Ahmad all active |
| Afghanistan batting edge | Top-order aggression (Gurbaz, Ibrahim) | Same openers, more aggressive in T20 format |
| Pakistan vulnerability | Middle order vs sustained spin in overs 20–35 | Collapses in 7–15 over spin phase |
| Recent trend | PAK dominant-won all ODIs except 2023 WC | AFG won 4 of last 10 T20Is in rivalry |
In ODIs, Pakistan’s pace attack has twice bowled Afghanistan out below 65 in Asian conditions. In T20Is, Afghanistan’s three-spinner combination applies pressure precisely in the 7–15 over window, where Pakistan’s middle order has lost wickets repeatedly across the 2023–2025 period.
Records and Statistical Milestones
Batting Records
- Afghanistan’s highest ODI total vs Pakistan: 286/2 (Oct 23, 2023-Chennai)
- Pakistan’s highest ODI total vs Afghanistan: 282/7 (Oct 23, 2023-Chennai)
- Afghanistan’s lowest ODI total vs Pakistan: 59 all out (Aug 22, 2023-Hambantota)-also the lowest ODI total ever made against Pakistan by any international team
- Afghanistan’s lowest T20I total vs Pakistan: 66 all out (Sep 7, 2025-Sharjah Final)
- Highest individual ODI score in rivalry: Rahmanullah Gurbaz-151 (Aug 24, 2023-Hambantota)
Bowling Records
- Best bowling figures in rivalry (T20I): Mohammad Nawaz-5/19 + hat-trick (Sep 7, 2025-Sharjah)
- Most T20I wickets in a series (2025 Tri-Series): Mohammad Nawaz-10 wickets
- Most T20I wickets for Afghanistan (2025 Tri-Series): Rashid Khan-9 wickets
FAQs:
Q1: What is the overall head-to-head record between Pakistan and Afghanistan in cricket?
A1: Pakistan leads overall 13–5 across 18 official internationals-8 ODIs and 10 T20Is-played from February 2012 through September 2025. In ODIs, Pakistan leads 7–1. In T20Is, Pakistan leads 6–4.
Q2: Has Afghanistan ever beaten Pakistan in cricket?
A2: Yes. Afghanistan have beaten Pakistan 5 times-4 in T20Is and 1 in an ODI. The ODI win came on October 23, 2023, at the ICC Cricket World Cup in Chennai, where Afghanistan chased 283 with 8 wickets in hand. Their T20I wins came in the 2023 UAE series (×2), the 2023 Asian Games semi-final, and the 2025 UAE Tri-Series (Match 4).
Q3: When did Afghanistan beat Pakistan for the first time in ODI cricket?
A3: October 23, 2023, at the ICC Cricket World Cup group stage in Chennai. Afghanistan posted 286/2 chasing 283, losing only 2 wickets in 44.4 overs. Ibrahim Zadran scored 87, Rahmanullah Gurbaz made 65, and Rahmat Shah remained unbeaten on 77.
Q4: What is Afghanistan’s lowest total against Pakistan?
A4: 59 all out, recorded in the 1st ODI on August 22, 2023, in Hambantota. This is also the lowest ODI total ever made against Pakistan by any international team in men’s cricket.
Q5: What is Afghanistan’s highest total against Pakistan?
A5: 286/2, scored while chasing 283 at the ICC Cricket World Cup on October 23, 2023, in Chennai. Afghanistan won that match by 8 wickets-their first-ever ODI victory against Pakistan.
Q6: What happened in the 2025 UAE T20I Tri-Series Final between Pakistan and Afghanistan?
A6: Pakistan beat Afghanistan by 75 runs on September 7, 2025, in Sharjah. Mohammad Nawaz took a hat-trick and finished with 5/19, bowling Afghanistan out for 66-their lowest T20I total against Pakistan.
Q7: What is the T20I head-to-head record between Pakistan and Afghanistan?
A7: Pakistan leads 6–4 across 10 T20Is through September 2025. Afghanistan won 3 of their 4 T20I victories in the 2023–2025 period, with only one coming before 2023 (Asian Games).
Q8: Who has scored the most runs for Afghanistan against Pakistan in T20Is?
A8: Mohammad Nabi leads Afghanistan’s T20I run-scorers against Pakistan with 119 runs, followed by Najibullah Zadran with 110. Rahmanullah Gurbaz has scored 105 T20I runs in this rivalry.
Q9: Who has taken the most wickets in Pakistan vs Afghanistan T20I cricket?
A9: Mohammad Nawaz leads all bowlers with 10 wickets in the 2025 UAE T20I Tri-Series alone. Rashid Khan took 9 wickets in the same series for Afghanistan. In the 2023 UAE T20I series, Ihsanullah took 6 wickets for Pakistan.
Q10: Have Pakistan and Afghanistan played a Test match against each other?
A10: No. As of May 2026, Pakistan and Afghanistan have not played a Test match against each other. The complete Pakistan national cricket team vs afghanistan national cricket team timeline consists entirely of ODIs and T20Is, all played on neutral venues outside both countries.
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