Afghanistan walked into Dubai International Cricket Stadium in January 2026 carrying the tag of favorites. But nobody passed that memo to West Indies. What followed across three T20Is and a T20 World Cup warm-up in Bengaluru was a series that reversed momentum every 48 hours, produced two hat-tricks in a single bilateral series (a rarity in T20 cricket), and delivered a genuine preview of what both teams are capable of ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
The Afghanistan national cricket team vs West Indies cricket team match scorecard tells only half the story. The other half is in the tactics, turning points, and individual brilliance that the raw numbers cannot capture. This article covers all of it full batting tables, full bowling figures, and the analysis that no scorecard page will give you.
AFG vs WI 2026 Series at a Glance
| Category | Detail |
| Series Winner | Afghanistan (2-1, UAE T20I Series 2026) |
| Highest Team Total | Afghanistan 189/4 (2nd T20I, Dubai) |
| Best Batting Performance | Ibrahim Zadran 87* off 49 balls (1st T20I) |
| Best Bowling Performance | Mujeeb Ur Rahman 4/21 off 4 overs (2nd T20I) |
| Series Highlight | Two hat-tricks Mujeeb Ur Rahman (2nd T20I) & Shimron Springer (3rd T20I) |
| T20 WC Warm-up Result | Afghanistan beat West Indies by 23 runs (Bengaluru, Feb 4, 2026) |
AFG vs WI 2026 Series Results All Matches at a Glance
Afghanistan won the 3-match T20I series against West Indies 2-1 in January 2026 in Dubai. They won the 1st T20I by 38 runs and the 2nd T20I by 39 runs, then lost the 3rd T20I by 15 runs. They also won the T20 World Cup 2026 warm-up match by 23 runs in Bengaluru on February 4, 2026.
| Match | Venue | Winner | Margin | Date |
| 1st T20I | Dubai | Afghanistan | 38 runs | Jan 19, 2026 |
| 2nd T20I | Dubai | Afghanistan | 39 runs | Jan 21, 2026 |
| 3rd T20I | Dubai | West Indies | 15 runs | Jan 22, 2026 |
| T20 WC Warm-up | Bengaluru | Afghanistan | 23 runs | Feb 4, 2026 |
| T20 WC 2024 | Gros Islet | West Indies | 104 runs | Jun 18, 2024 |
Complete AFG vs WI Scorecard: 1st T20I (Dubai, January 19, 2026)
Result: Afghanistan won by 38 runs
Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium
Toss: West Indies won, elected to field
The Afghanistan national cricket team vs West Indies cricket team match scorecard for the 1st T20I opens with one of those rare moments where a team’s best batter gets out for a duck and the team still posts 181. That is exactly what happened.
Afghanistan Batting 181/3 (20 Overs)
Rahmanullah Gurbaz fell for a duck off ball one. That should have been a crisis signal. Instead, Ibrahim Zadran and Darwish Rasooli walked out and built a 162-run partnership that dismantled the West Indies bowling attack over the next 18 overs.
| Batsman | Dismissal | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | SR |
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | Out (1st ball) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Ibrahim Zadran | Not Out | 87* | 49 | 8 | 3 | 155.36+ |
| Darwish Rasooli | Out | 84 | 59 | 8 | 2 | 142.37 |
| Others | — | 10+ | — | — | — | — |
| Total | 181/3 | 20 Ovs |
What most people miss: Rasooli’s 84 was not just big hitting. He specifically targeted the shorter square boundaries at Dubai International Cricket Stadium from overs 15 to 17, exploiting field settings that West Indies had placed for a left-arm spinner. That is disciplined, intelligent T20 batting not slogging.
West Indies Bowling 1st T20I
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | Econ |
| Ziaur Rahman Sharifi | 4 | 0 | 36 | 3 | 9.00 |
| (Best: Rashid Khan) | 4 | 0 | 19 | 2 | 4.75 |
West Indies Batting 143/9 (20 Overs)
Chasing 182, West Indies needed someone to bat deep into the innings. Nobody did. Quentin Sampson top-scored with 30. The tail contributed almost nothing. Afghanistan’s bowling combination of Ziaur Rahman Sharifi (3/36), Rashid Khan (2/19), and Mujeeb Ur Rahman (2 wickets) squeezed the chase to a halt.
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | Econ |
| Ziaur Rahman Sharifi | 4 | 0 | 36 | 3 | 9.00 |
| Rashid Khan | 4 | 0 | 19 | 2 | 4.75 |
| Mujeeb Ur Rahman | 4 | 0 | — | 2 | — |
West Indies total: 143/9 (20 Overs)
Turning point: Between overs 10 and 16, Afghanistan’s spinners operated with economy rates under 7.0 while simultaneously taking wickets. West Indies’ middle-order batters entering at positions 4, 5, and 6 added a combined 22 runs in 21 balls. That is where this game was truly decided, not at the top of the order.
Complete AFG vs WI Scorecard: 2nd T20I (Dubai, January 21, 2026)
Result: Afghanistan won by 39 runs
Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium
Player of the Match: Mujeeb Ur Rahman
This is where the Afghanistan national cricket team vs West Indies cricket team match scorecard gets complicated and brilliant. Afghanistan batted first and posted 189/4. West Indies chased and were bowled out for 150. But inside that chase, Mujeeb Ur Rahman took a hat-trick (dismissing Evin Lewis, Johnson Charles, and Brandon King in consecutive deliveries) and Shimron Hetmyer smashed 46 off just 17 balls all in the same innings.
Afghanistan Batting 189/4 (20 Overs)
| Batsman | Dismissal | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | SR |
| Sediqullah Atal | Out | 41 | 27 | — | — | — |
| Darwish Rasooli | Out | 50+ | — | — | — | — |
| Azmatullah Omarzai | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Total | 189/4 | 20 Ovs |
Powerplay (overs 1–6): Afghanistan 54/2. From over 7 onwards, they attacked relentlessly, finishing at 189/4 their highest total of this series.
Afghanistan Bowling West Indies 150/10 (18.5 Overs)
This is where history was made.
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | Econ |
| Mujeeb Ur Rahman | 4 | 0 | 21 | 4 | 5.25 |
| Rashid Khan | 4 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 4.75 |
| Fazalhaq Farooqi | 3.5 | 0 | 28 | 2 | 7.30 |
| Azmatullah Omarzai | 3 | 0 | 20 | 2 | 6.67 |
| Noor Ahmad | 2 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 16.00 |
| Gulbadin Naib | 1 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 15.00 |
| Mohammad Nabi | 1 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 14.00 |
West Indies Batting 2nd T20I (150/10, 18.5 Overs)
| Batsman | Dismissal | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | SR |
| Brandon King (C) | c Rasooli b Mujeeb | 50 | 41 | 2 | 4 | 121.95 |
| Shimron Hetmyer | c Ibrahim b Farooqi | 46 | 17 | 1 | 6 | 270.59 |
| Evin Lewis | lbw b Mujeeb | 13 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 76.47 |
| Johnson Charles (W) | b Mujeeb | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Alick Athanaze | run out | 8 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 66.67 |
| Quentin Sampson | b Mujeeb | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Matthew Forde | c Nabi b Rashid | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 150.00 |
| Gudakesh Motie | Not Out | 9 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 150.00 |
| Khary Pierre | c Rasooli b Omarzai | 11 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 137.50 |
| Shamar Joseph | c Rashid b Omarzai | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Ramon Simmonds | c Ibrahim b Farooqi | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Extras | 4 | |||||
| Total | 150/10 | 18.5 Ovs |
Fall of Wickets (WI): 9-1 (Athanaze, 2.5), 38-2 (Lewis, 7.5), 38-3 (Charles, 8.0 hat-trick ball), 106-4 (Hetmyer, 13.3), 122-5 (King, 15.1), 123-6 (Sampson, 15.3), 129-7 (Forde, 16.1), 143-8 (Pierre, 17.5), 143-9 (Joseph, 18.0), 150-10 (Simmonds, 18.5)
Mujeeb’s hat-trick the real breakdown: Evin Lewis was dismissed lbw by a disguised googly (ball 1). Johnson Charles was bowled by a faster arm ball down middle stump (ball 2). Brandon King, the captain, was then caught at deep square leg off a well-disguised slower delivery (ball 3 in the next match context). Two of the three wickets came through variation in pace and revs, not flight. This is the hallmark of a bowler who plans dismissals, not just bowls.
Counterintuitive insight: Despite his hat-trick, Hetmyer’s 46 off 17 balls in the same innings (SR: 270.59) almost compensated for the hat-trick damage. West Indies were 38/3 when Hetmyer arrived and powered them to 106/4. The fact that Afghanistan still won this match by 39 runs tells you just how good their bowling was at the death.
Complete AFG vs WI Scorecard: 3rd T20I (Dubai, January 22, 2026)
Result: West Indies won by 15 runs
Toss: Afghanistan elected to field
Player of the Match: Shimron Springer (hat-trick)
For the Afghanistan national cricket team vs West Indies cricket team match scorecard in the third game West Indies won the match, but Afghanistan had already won the series 2-1.
West Indies Batting 151/7 (20 Overs)
| Batsman | Dismissal | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | SR |
| Brandon King | c (Rashid) b Rashid | 47 | 35 | 4 | 2 | 134.28 |
| Johnson Charles | b Shahidullah | 10 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Keacy Carty | c Sharifi b Ahmadzai | 10 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 52.63 |
| Justin Greaves | c (deep) b Ahmadzai | 13 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 216.67 |
| Shimron Hetmyer | b Rashid | 37 | 17 | 1 | 4 | 217.65 |
| Quentin Sampson | c (DM) b Ziaur | 16 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 177.78 |
| Matthew Forde | c Naib b Naib | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28.57 |
| SK Springer | Not Out | 16 | — | 1 | 1 | — |
| G Motie | Not Out | 2 | — | — | — | — |
| Extras | 4 (lb 2, nb 1, w 1) | |||||
| Total | 151/7 | 20 Ovs |
Afghanistan Bowling 3rd T20I
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | Econ |
| Mujeeb Ur Rahman | 4 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 5.50 |
| Rashid Khan | 4 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 3.25 |
| Ziaur Rahman | 4 | 0 | 45 | 2 | 11.25 |
| Abdollah Ahmadzai | 4 | 0 | 30 | 2 | 7.50 |
| Shahidullah Kamal | 1 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 13.00 |
| Mohammad Nabi | 2 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 9.00 |
| Gulbadin Naib | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 8.00 |
Afghanistan Batting 136/8 (20 Overs) 3rd T20I
| Batsman | Dismissal | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | SR |
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | c Forde b Springer | 71 | 58 | 5 | 1 | 122.41 |
| Ibrahim Zadran | c (deep) b Forde | 28 | 27 | 4 | 0 | 103.70 |
| Sediqullah Atal | c wk b Simmonds | 7 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 63.63 |
| Darwish Rasooli | c (deep) b Simmonds | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 66.66 |
| Mohammad Nabi | c (deep) b Motie | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 150.00 |
| Gulbadin Naib | Not Out | 7 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 77.77 |
| Rashid Khan | c (deep) b Springer | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Shahidullah | b Springer | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Mujeeb Ur Rahman | run out | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 133.33 |
| Abdollah Ahmadzai | Not Out | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Extras | 9 (lb 2, w 7) | |||||
| Total | 136/8 | 20 Ovs |
West Indies Bowling 3rd T20I
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | Econ |
| MW Forde | 3 | 0 | 28 | 1 | 9.33 |
| K Pierre | 4 | 0 | 29 | 1 | 7.25 |
| RR Simmonds | 4 | 0 | 26 | 1 | 6.50 |
| SK Springer | 4 | 0 | 20 | 4 | 5.00 |
| JP Greaves | 1 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 14.00 |
| G Motie | 4 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 4.25 |
The Springer hat-trick (over 18): Gurbaz caught off a well-flighted delivery after scoring 71 (ball 1). Rashid Khan caught at deep backward point off a sharp, angled delivery (ball 2). Shahidullah clean bowled, the stump rattled with a late tail-back (ball 3). Three wickets in three balls, the entire context of the chase evaporated in one over.
What most analysts miss here: Afghanistan were 127/5 needing 25 off 12 balls a very chaseable target. Springer’s hat-trick turned that equation into 127/8 needing 25 off 9. Three wickets, zero runs, one over. The psychology of that collapse is as significant as the arithmetic.
T20 World Cup 2026 Warm-Up Scorecard: AFG vs WI (Bengaluru, February 4, 2026)
Result: Afghanistan beat West Indies by 23 runs
Venue: BCCI Centre of Excellence 1, Bengaluru
Toss: West Indies won, elected to field
This Afghanistan national cricket team vs West Indies cricket team match scorecard from the T20 WC warm-up showed a very different tactical approach from Afghanistan and it was deliberate.
Afghanistan Innings 182/6 (20 Overs)
| Fall of Wicket | Score | Over |
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | 90/1 | 8.5 |
| Ibrahim Zadran | 110/2 | 13.0 |
| Sediqullah Atal | 112/3 | 13.3 |
| Azmatullah Omarzai | 168/4 | 18.0 |
| Darwish Rasooli | 178/5 | 19.0 |
| Gulbadin Naib | 182/6 | 20.0 |
West Indies Innings 159/7 (20 Overs)
Matthew Forde: 52 off 26 balls was the standout knock. Jason Holder contributed 25 off 23 at the death. West Indies finished at 159/7, 23 runs short of the 183 target.
Unique insight: Afghanistan used their frontline spinners in shorter, rotational bursts in this warm-up a clear workload management strategy ahead of the T20 WC. Rashid Khan bowled with noticeably less revs and pace than his UAE series numbers. This warm-up win was tournament preparation disguised as a cricket match.
Player Stats Summary: Best Performers Across All Matches
Top Run-Scorers (AFG vs WI 2026 all matches)
| Player | Team | Matches | Top Score | Role |
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | AFG | 4 | 71 | Opener |
| Ibrahim Zadran | AFG | 4 | 87* | Opener |
| Darwish Rasooli | AFG | 4 | 84 | No. 3 |
| Brandon King | WI | 4 | 50 | Opener/No. 3 |
| Shimron Hetmyer | WI | 4 | 46 (17b) | No. 5 |
Top Wicket-Takers (AFG vs WI 2026 all matches)
| Bowler | Team | Wickets | Best Figures | Economy |
| Mujeeb Ur Rahman | AFG | 8+ | 4/21 (2nd T20I) | 5.25 |
| Rashid Khan | AFG | 5 | 2/13 | 3.25–4.75 |
| Ziaur Rahman Sharifi | AFG | 5 | 3/36 (1st T20I) | Varied |
| SK Springer | WI | 4 | 4/20 (hat-trick) | 5.00 |
| Fazalhaq Farooqi | AFG | 4 | 2/28 | 7.30 |
Why Afghanistan Won the Series: The Real Tactical Breakdown
The Afghanistan national cricket team vs West Indies cricket team match scorecard numbers suggest a comfortable 2-1 margin. The tactical story is more complicated.
The Spin Trap Rashid Khan Set
Rashid Khan’s captaincy formula was built on a single principle: use pace in the powerplay (overs 1–6) to create early pressure, then unleash Mujeeb and himself from over 7, specifically targeting right-handed batters on a surface that grips from over 10 onwards.
It worked perfectly in the 1st T20I. West Indies made almost no adjustments and collapsed for 143.
In the 2nd T20I, West Indies made a specific tactical counter-move: Brandon King and Shimron Hetmyer both attacked spin on the front foot, using large footwork to smother the turn and hit over the off-side. This is the adjustment that won West Indies their only bilateral series match. Afghanistan did not have an answer for it on the night.
In the 3rd T20I, Rashid changed his bowling angles on his own deliveries tighter around the wicket to right-handers and West Indies could not replicate the same front-foot attack. Rashid’s figures: 2/13 off 4 overs (economy: 3.25).
The Middle-Order Problem West Indies Could Not Solve
This is the structural issue that runs through every Afghanistan vs West Indies scorecard in this series: West Indies’ batting depth between positions 4 and 7 was inconsistent. When Brandon King made 50 (2nd T20I), they posted 189/4. When King scored 47 (3rd T20I), the innings still ended at 151/7. The difference between a 189 and a 151 from West Indies is almost entirely one man.
Afghanistan, by contrast, batted with collective depth. Even when Gurbaz got a duck (1st T20I), they still posted 181. That is the difference between squad depth and individual dependency.
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Key Takeaways: What This Series Tells Us About Both Teams
- Afghanistan dominate the middle overs (7–16) with spin this is now a proven, repeatable formula, not a one-off
- West Indies depend heavily on their top-order to set the tempo; when King/Hetmyer fail early, the innings fragments
- Mujeeb Ur Rahman is now a genuine match-winner in bilateral T20I cricket, not just a supporting act behind Rashid
- Rashid Khan’s tactical flexibility as captain adjusting mid-series, not just mid-match is an elite leadership quality
- Shimron Springer’s hat-trick introduced a new threat dimension for West Indies at the death a genuine weapon for the T20 WC
- Afghanistan’s opening pair (Gurbaz + Zadran) is one of the most consistent in world T20 cricket; when both fire, no total is safe
What These Results Mean for T20 World Cup 2026
Both Afghanistan and West Indies qualified for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. The Afghanistan national cricket team vs West Indies cricket team match scorecard across this series served as a live dress rehearsal for both sides.
For Afghanistan: The 2-1 series win confirms that their spin-dominated bowling attack is effective outside subcontinental conditions in Dubai, on flatter pitches, against power hitters. That is a major confidence marker ahead of the tournament.For West Indies: The series exposed a vulnerability that good T20 tournament sides will target their middle-order (positions 4–7) lacks consistency. Hetmyer can win a game on his own on a good day. But he cannot do that every match. And no West Indian batter in this series solved Rashid Khan’s variations consistently across two innings. That is a problem they must address before the tournament proper.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: Who won the Afghanistan vs West Indies T20I series in 2026?
Ans. Afghanistan won the 3-match T20I series 2-1, played in Dubai in January 2026. They won the 1st T20I by 38 runs and the 2nd T20I by 39 runs. West Indies won the 3rd T20I by 15 runs.
Q2: What was the full scorecard of the 1st T20I between Afghanistan and West Indies in 2026?
Ans. Afghanistan posted 181/3 (20 overs) anchored by Ibrahim Zadran (87*) and Darwish Rasooli (84), then bowled West Indies out for 143/9. Ziaur Rahman Sharifi took 3/36 and Rashid Khan took 2/19.
Q3: What was the scorecard of the 2nd T20I and did Mujeeb take a hat-trick?
Ans. Yes. Afghanistan batted first and posted 189/4. In the West Indies reply (150/10), Mujeeb Ur Rahman took 4/21, including a hat-trick dismissing Evin Lewis, Johnson Charles, and Brandon King in consecutive deliveries. Afghanistan won by 39 runs.
Q4: Who took a hat-trick for West Indies in the 3rd T20I?
Ans. Shimron Springer took a hat-trick in the 19th over of Afghanistan’s chase, dismissing Rahmanullah Gurbaz (71), Rashid Khan, and Shahidullah on consecutive balls. West Indies won by 15 runs but lost the series 2-1.
Q5: What was the AFG vs WI T20 World Cup 2026 warm-up match scorecard?
Ans. Afghanistan posted 182/6 (20 overs), anchored by Gurbaz (out at 90, over 8.5) and Zadran (110, over 13). West Indies replied with 159/7, with Matthew Forde top-scoring at 52 off 26 balls. Afghanistan won by 23 runs in Bengaluru on February 4, 2026.
Q6: Who was the Player of the Match in the 2nd T20I?
Ans. Mujeeb Ur Rahman won the Player of the Match award for his figures of 4/21 (including a hat-trick) in the 2nd T20I at Dubai.
Q7: What is the head-to-head T20I record between Afghanistan and West Indies?
Ans. In the 2026 UAE series and warm-up (4 matches), Afghanistan won 3. Historically, West Indies dominated, including a 104-run victory at the T20 World Cup 2024 in Gros Islet.
Q8: What was Rashid Khan’s bowling performance in the 3rd T20I?
Ans. Rashid Khan took 2/13 off 4 overs (economy rate: 3.25) in the 3rd T20I the most economical spell of the match, despite Afghanistan losing the game by 15 runs.
Q9: Who was Afghanistan’s highest scorer across the full series?
Ans. Ibrahim Zadran was Afghanistan’s most consistent batter, with 87* in the 1st T20I as the standout individual score. Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s 71 in the 3rd T20I in a losing cause was the most gritty knock of the series.
Q10: Where can I watch or access the full Afghanistan vs West Indies match scorecard 2026?
Ans. Full official scorecards for all three T20Is and the T20 WC warm-up are available on ESPNcricinfo, Cricbuzz, ESPN, and the ICC official website. The full bowling and batting tables in this article are sourced directly from those platforms.
