Kolkata: A few days ago, Pakistan T20I captain Salman Agha wasn’t too pleased when a Pakistani journalist said in a press conference that Afghanistan were the second best T20I team in Asia after India. It evoked a dismissive smirk, but conveyed a lot more than just his displeasure. Cut to Tuesday, Pakistan lost to Afghanistan in the T20 tri series in the UAE ahead of the Asia Cup.
Afghanistan beating Pakistan isn’t an upset any longer. They have been doing this since 2023, particularly in the UAE, on the kind of slow pitches that will soon feature Sri Lanka and India as well in the Asia Cup. Not just this format, in ODIs as well.
Go back to the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, where they had logged wins against England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Netherlands. Making the last four would have been a stretch but there was no doubt that Asian rankings had been recalibrated after that tournament. Afghanistan were riding a tidal wave of gritty, remarkable performances that are slowly changing the status quo within Asia.
Crossing over to T20, that feeling became all the more palpable with the 2024 T20 World Cup where Afghanistan finally made the semi-finals after beating teams like New Zealand, Australia and Bangladesh. The semi-final came within 48 hours of Bangladesh, but Afghanistan weren’t giving any excuses. Highly skilled, immensely determined, Afghanistan has changed the equation of the game within a space of four-five years, evolving into a team that has now emerged serious contenders in the smallest format.
Spin has been their go-to solution regardless of pitches, but that’s not the only area where Afghanistan are excelling.
On Tuesday, Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal stitched a 113-run second-wicket partnership in their 18-run win over Pakistan. It was the fifth hundred-run partnership for Afghanistan in T20Is since 2023. Australia have six, England seven, Sri Lanka and Pakistan five, and Bangladesh have four (India top the list with 15) in the same time. Their batting can be erratic, but when Afghanistan gets in that zone, it’s hard to dislodge them.
The best thing about Afghanistan’s batting solidity is that it doesn’t compromise their bowling riches. Rashid Khan is the all-season leader of this attack but also efficient are Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Noor Ahmad on such pitches. On Tuesday for example, Afghanistan conceded just 70 runs in 12 overs, taking six wickets that just didn’t allow Pakistan to build any momentum in the chase. To watch the trio spin yarns around a clueless Pakistan batting was an indicator of how improved they had become as a unit, just as it was a sorry reflection of Pakistan’s sliding batting technique against the turning ball.
In terms of T20 pedigree and experience, Pakistan are way ahead of Afghanistan, but only on paper. Which is why despite not playing T20Is before this in 2025, Afghanistan look better prepared because of the presence of multiple players who play in franchise T20 leagues around the world. As a format, T20 is fraught with a greater degree of risk but Afghanistan somehow are able to circumvent that with mature performances. Exactly the reason why they could finish with 169/5 on Tuesday despite only two batters reaching double figures.
A simple approach that mitigates risk while keeping the score ticking—something seen during the 2023 World Cup as well—is helping Afghanistan get a better measure of this format. Add to that the cohesiveness of this team, the fact that the core has been playing together for a long time while slowly integrating newer, more exciting talent, is slowly translating into a winning edge. Zadran was talking about this after the win, elaborating on how he didn’t have to exert himself.
“I have been playing in that position, I have an idea on how to set the game and build a partnership. Just trying to keep it simple. Did not want to take too much pressure, wanted to rotate strike and target one bowler at a time,” said Zadran. “We (Atal and me) have been playing together since 2020 and the U-19 World Cup. The understanding is there, the trust is there. We have been trying to communicate and these were the things that helped a lot, and hope to do it in the future as well.”
Afghanistan always had better bowlers than batters but it’s still not easy to pinpoint where and how they became so good in white-ball cricket. Between the 2019—where they had lost all nine matches—and the 2023 editions of the ODI World Cup, there weren’t too many visible markers of their improvement. In the 2022 T20 World Cup, Afghanistan had finished last in the first group of the Super 12, in 2024 they had reached the semi-finals.
Playing surfaces could be a factor, given 2019 was in England and 2022 was in Australia. But with the batting coming good more often, Afghanistan’s rise has been unhindered. Now with the Asia Cup set to be played in the UAE, followed by the T20 World Cup in India, this could just be the year Afghanistan have been waiting for ever since qualifying for the 2010 edition in the Caribbean.
