The intensifying cricket rivalry between the Afghanistan National Cricket Team and the United Arab Emirates National Cricket Team features high-stakes encounters, where Afghanistan’s explosive power hitting and world-class spin resources consistently collide with the United Arab Emirates’ highly disciplined tactical execution and rapidly emerging young talent.
Recent Match Tracker: Last 7 Encounters
Date
Format
Venue
Match Summary & Scorecards
Winner
Margin
16 Feb 2026
T20I
Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
UAE: 160/9 (20.0 ov) AFG: 162/5 (19.2 ov)
Afghanistan
5 Wickets
05 Sep 2025
T20I
Sharjah Cricket Stadium
AFG: 170/4 (20.0 ov) UAE: 166/5 (20.0 ov)
Afghanistan
4 Runs
01 Sep 2025
T20I
Sharjah Cricket Stadium
AFG: 188/4 (20.0 ov) UAE: 150/8 (20.0 ov)
Afghanistan
38 Runs
02 Jan 2024
T20I
Sharjah Cricket Stadium
UAE: 126/9 (20.0 ov) AFG: 128/6 (18.3 ov)
Afghanistan
4 Wickets
31 Dec 2023
T20I
Sharjah Cricket Stadium
UAE: 166/7 (20.0 ov) AFG: 155 (19.5 ov)
UAE
11 Runs
29 Dec 2023
T20I
Sharjah Cricket Stadium
AFG: 203/3 (20.0 ov) UAE: 131/4 (20.0 ov)
Afghanistan
72 Runs
19 Feb 2023
T20I
Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
UAE: 163/6 (20.0 ov) AFG: 166/4 (19.1 ov)
Afghanistan
6 Wickets
Head-to-Head T20 Standings
Afghanistan leads the head-to-head rivalry with 12 wins to UAE’s 3 wins over their total T20 International matchups. This includes their highly competitive group fixture at the global tournament stage in early 2026.
Upcoming Series Details
Series
Date
Format
Venue
Match Details
Bangladesh in UAE
October 2026
Test
Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Afghanistan Host Series
Zimbabwe in UAE
December 2026
Multiformat
Dubai International Stadium
2 Tests, 3 ODIs, 3 T20Is
Ireland in UAE
March 2027
Multiformat
Abu Dhabi Zayed Stadium
1 Test, 3 ODIs, 3 T20Is
Sri Lanka in UAE
September 2027
Limited Overs
Dubai International Stadium
3 ODIs, 5 T20Is
Head-to-Head Summary
Format
Total Matches
Afghanistan Won
UAE Won
No Result / Tied
Dominant Team
T20 Internationals
15
12
3
0
Afghanistan
One Day Internationals
7
4
3
0
Afghanistan
Combined Total
22
16
6
0
Afghanistan
Most Memorable Match – The Epic Thriller
Match
Date
Venue
First Innings Score
Second Innings Score
Thrilling Turning Point
Result
T20 UAE Tri-Series
05 Sep 2025
Sharjah Stadium
Afghanistan 170/4
UAE 166/5
Fareed Ahmad defends 16 in final over
Afghanistan won by 4 runs
Major Tournament Matches Between Them
Tournament
Date
Venue
Stage
Top Performer
Match Context
Result
ICC Men’s T20 World Cup
16 Feb 2026
Arun Jaitley Stadium
Group Stage
Azmatullah Omarzai
Crucial world stage clash
Afghanistan won by 5 wickets
World Twenty20 Qualifier
10 Jul 2015
The Grange Club
Group Stage
Mohammad Shahzad
Global qualification match
Afghanistan won by 8 wickets
Asia Cup Qualifier
19 Feb 2016
Fatullah Stadium
Round Robin
Muhammad Waseem
Continental tournament spot
UAE won by 16 runs
World Cup Qualifier
20 Mar 2018
Old Hararians
Super Sixes
Gulbadin Naib
50-over qualification path
Afghanistan won by 5 wickets
Key Performance Leaderboard
Player Name
Team
Core Speciality
Highest Score / Best Bowling
Strike Rate / Economy
Impact Rating
Ibrahim Zadran
Afghanistan
Opening Batsman
53 Runs
129.27 Strike Rate
High
Azmatullah Omarzai
Afghanistan
Fast-Bowling All-Rounder
4 wickets for 15 runs
3.75 Economy Rate
Maximum
Sohaib Khan
UAE
Middle-Order Power Hitter
68 Runs
141.67 Strike Rate
High
Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Afghanistan
Mystery Off-Spinner
2 wickets for 31 runs
7.75 Economy Rate
Medium
The Battlefield: Tactical Power-Plays & Record Breakers (2025-26)
Match Phase
Overs
Attacking Team
Runs Scored
Wickets Lost
Tactical Outcome
Power-Play 1
0.1 to 6.0
UAE
48
2
Afghanistan spin squeezed runs
Middle Overs
6.1 to 15.0
UAE
72
3
Omarzai broke partnerships
Death Overs
15.1 to 20.0
Afghanistan
54
1
Late boundary assault sealed chase
The Tactical Edge: Strategic Matchups & Squad Dynamics
Batsman
Target Bowler
Tactical Weakness Exploited
Defensive Adjustment
Head-to-Head Winner
Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Junaid Siddique
Early swing moving away
Guard adjustment to leg stump
Junaid Siddique
Muhammad Waseem
Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Carrom ball attacking pads
Sweeping from middle stump
Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Alishan Sharafu
Rashid Khan
Googly turning inward
Playing deep inside the crease
Rashid Khan
History Re-Written: Every Record Smashed in the 2025/26 Season
Record Category
Previous Benchmark
New Record Milestone
Record Holder
Match Date
Best Bowling Figures
3 wickets for 20 runs
4 wickets for 15 runs
Azmatullah Omarzai
16 Feb 2026
Highest Individual Score
62 Runs
68 Runs
Sohaib Khan
16 Feb 2026
Lowest Defended Target
12 runs in final over
4 runs total margin
Fareed Ahmad
05 Sep 2025
Pace vs. Power: The Brutal Numbers Behind the Bowlers
Bowler Name
Team
Average Delivery Speed
Fastest Ball Clocked
Dot Ball Percentage
Boundary Percentage
Fazalhaq Farooqi
Afghanistan
138.5 km/h
144.2 km/h
48.2 percent
12.4 percent
Junaid Siddique
UAE
135.2 km/h
141.0 km/h
42.5 percent
14.1 percent
Azmatullah Omarzai
Afghanistan
136.8 km/h
142.5 km/h
52.0 percent
8.5 percent
The Captain’s Gambit: Genius Strategic Moves
Match Date
Captain
Tactical Move Deployed
Expected Risk
Actual Match Outcome
16 Feb 2026
Rashid Khan
Opening with Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Power-play boundary leak
Got Muhammad Waseem early
05 Sep 2025
Muhammad Waseem
Holding back death overs pace
Mid-overs run leak
Brought game to final over
The “Fortress” Chronicles: Stadium Face-offs & Crowd Dominance
Venue Name
Total Matches Hosted
Average First Innings Score
Crowd Capacity
Dominant Supporter Base
Stadium Character
Sharjah Cricket Stadium
11
162 Runs
16000
Equal Split
High boundary count
Zayed Cricket Stadium
6
151 Runs
20000
UAE Fans
Large square boundaries
Arun Jaitley Stadium
1
160 Runs
41800
Neutral
True pitch bounce
Conclusion
The analytical data highlights Afghanistan as the historically dominant cricket team when facing the United Arab Emirates. However, the rapidly shrinking margin of victory and intense battles in recent seasons clearly demonstrate that UAE possesses the competitive tactical depth to consistently challenge Afghanistan on the international stage.
