Dubai International Cricket Stadium, January 22, 2026. Afghanistan need 19 runs off the final two overs, cruising with Rahmanullah Gurbaz set at the crease. Then Shamar Springer runs in for the 19th over and does something almost nobody predicted: three wickets in three balls.
But here’s the real problem with how most scorecards cover this series: they treat that hat-trick as a footnote in a “close finish” summary line. Nobody explains that this single over erased what had been a near-certain 3-0 whitewash, or breaks down how Afghanistan still walked away with the series despite the collapse. This article gives you every scorecard from all three matches, plus the analysis layer that turns raw numbers into an actual story.
What Actually Happened in the Afghanistan vs West Indies Series
Afghanistan hosted West Indies for a three-match T20I series in Dubai in January 2026, their final assignment before the T20 World Cup.
What most people miss is that this series wasn’t just a warm-up Rashid Khan used it deliberately to test specific game plans, including bowling first in the decider purely to assess his team’s chasing ability under pressure.
Afghanistan dominated the first two matches comprehensively, winning by 38 and then 39 runs. This is where things go wrong in most coverage they call the series “one-sided” and stop there. In reality, West Indies fought back hard in the third match, restricting Afghanistan to 138 for 8 and pulling off a 15-run win that salvaged pride and gave their bowlers real confidence heading into their own World Cup preparation in South Africa.
Series Scorecard Summary Table
| Match | Date | Venue | Result | Margin | Player of the Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st T20I | January 19, 2026 | Dubai International Cricket Stadium | Afghanistan won | 38 runs | Ibrahim Zadran (87 not out) |
| 2nd T20I | January 21, 2026 | Dubai International Cricket Stadium | Afghanistan won | 39 runs | Mujeeb Ur Rahman (4/21, hat-trick) |
| 3rd T20I | January 22, 2026 | Dubai International Cricket Stadium | West Indies won | 15 runs | Shamar Springer (4/20, hat-trick) |
Series result: Afghanistan won 2-1.
1st T20I: Full Match Scorecard
Afghanistan won the toss, batted first, and posted 181/3 in 20 overs. Ibrahim Zadran anchored the innings with an unbeaten 87 off 56 balls, while Darwish Rasooli contributed 84. What people underestimate about this opening stand is how methodical it was Zadran and Rasooli added 162 runs together without ever needing to force the pace, a rare approach in modern T20 cricket that paid off because West Indies’ spinners couldn’t build any pressure.
Afghanistan Batting: 1st T20I
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ibrahim Zadran (not out) | 87 | 56 | Anchored the innings; 162-run stand with Rasooli |
| Darwish Rasooli | 84 | 59 | Aggressive counterpart to Zadran’s control |
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | 0 | 0 | Dismissed off the very first ball of the innings |
| Sediqullah Atal | 2 | 4 | Fell early trying to force the pace |
West Indies Batting: 1st T20I
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q Sampson | 30 | — | Top scorer in a chase that never got going |
| J Charles | 23 | 14 | Brief flurry before losing his wicket |
| G Motie | 28 | 14 | Late-order resistance, too little too late |
| M Forde | 17 | 15 | Contributed to a small partnership push |
Bowling Figures: 1st T20I
| Bowler (Team) | Wickets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ziaur Rahman (AFG) | 3/36 | Best figures of the innings |
| Rashid Khan (AFG) | 2/19 | Tight, economical spell |
| Jayden Seales (WI) | 1/30 | Lone bright spot with the ball for West Indies |
Read Also:- India Vs West Indies T20 2026: Full Scorecard, Highlights & Turning Points
Afghanistan won by 38 runs, restricting West Indies to 143/9.
2nd T20I: Full Match Scorecard
Mujeeb’s Hat-Trick and Afghanistan’s Middle-Order Stand
Afghanistan posted 189/4, built on a third-successive T20I half-century from Darwish Rasooli (68) and a steadying fifty from Sediqullah Atal (53), the pair adding 115 runs for the third wicket.
What most people miss is that this was Rasooli’s third consecutive half-century in the series to that point a form streak that got almost no coverage compared to the eventual chase drama.
West Indies’ reply fell apart because of Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who took four wickets in five deliveries spread across two separate overs a rare split hat-trick-style spell that isn’t captured by a standard “4/21” bowling line. Brandon King’s 50 and a late flurry couldn’t stop West Indies from being bowled out for 150.
Afghanistan Batting: 2nd T20I
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darwish Rasooli | 68 | — | Third consecutive T20I half-century in the series |
| Sediqullah Atal | 53 | — | Anchored a 115-run third-wicket stand with Rasooli |
West Indies Batting: 2nd T20I
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon King | 50 | 41 | Lone real resistance in the chase |
| Shimron Hetmyer | 46 | 17 | Explosive but too late to change the result |
| Andre Athanaze | 8 | 12 | Run out attempting a quick single |
| Evin Lewis | 13 | 17 | Fell lbw early |
Bowling Figures: 2nd T20I
| Bowler | Overs | Runs | Wickets | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mujeeb Ur Rahman | — | 21 | 4 | Four wickets in five deliveries across two overs |
| M Forde (WI) | — | 25 | 2 | Best of a beaten West Indies attack |
West Indies were bowled out for 150 in 18.5 overs, and Afghanistan won by 39 runs to seal the series with a match to spare.
3rd T20I: Full Match Scorecard
The Springer Hat-Trick: Turning Point Timeline
Rashid Khan won the toss and chose to bowl first a deliberate decision to test Afghanistan’s chasing ability under pressure ahead of the World Cup, not a reaction to conditions. West Indies posted 151/7, with Brandon King (47) and a rapid 27 off 11 balls from Matthew Forde giving them a defendable total. Afghanistan’s chase looked comfortable through Gurbaz’s fluent 71 and a 59-run opening stand with Zadran, but the 19th over changed everything.
| Over | Moment | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| 1-6 (WI innings) | Brandon King builds early momentum | Sets platform for a competitive total despite a top-order wobble |
| 15-16 (WI innings) | Matthew Forde’s rapid 27 off 11 balls | Pushes West Indies from a modest total to a genuinely defendable 151 |
| 1-8 (AFG chase) | Gurbaz and Zadran build a 59-run opening stand | Afghanistan look on course for a comfortable series sweep |
| 19th over | Shamar Springer’s hat-trick dismisses Gurbaz, Rashid Khan, and Shahidullah in three balls | Turns a near-certain Afghanistan win into a genuine last-over thriller |
| 20th over | Ramon Simmonds defends 19 with pinpoint yorkers | Seals West Indies’ win by 15 runs, denying Afghanistan a 3-0 sweep |
What most people miss is that Springer’s hat-trick didn’t come against tailenders Rashid Khan was Afghanistan’s captain and a genuine batting threat lower down the order. Removing him mid-collapse was what actually sealed the result, not just the raw wicket count.
Afghanistan Batting: 3rd T20I
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | 71 | — | Best individual innings of the match, in a losing cause |
| Ibrahim Zadran | — | — | Part of the 59-run opening stand with Gurbaz |
| Rashid Khan (c) | — | — | Dismissed as part of Springer’s hat-trick |
| Shahidullah | — | — | Third wicket of Springer’s hat-trick |
West Indies Batting: 3rd T20I
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon King | 47 | — | Anchored the innings after an early stumble |
| Matthew Forde | 27 | 11 | Late-innings acceleration that proved decisive |
Bowling Figures: 3rd T20I
| Bowler (Team) | Wickets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Shamar Springer (WI) | 4/20 | Hat-trick in the 19th over; Player of the Match |
| Ramon Simmonds (WI) | — | Defended 19 runs in the final over with yorkers |
| Rashid Khan (AFG) | 2/13 | Best Afghanistan bowling figures despite the loss |
| Khalid Ahmadzai (AFG) | 2/30 | Second-best figures for Afghanistan |
Read Also:- T20 World Cup 2026 Stats: Full Breakdown of Records, Runs & Wickets
West Indies won by 15 runs, restricting Afghanistan to 138/8, avoiding a series whitewash.
Player Performance Breakdown Across the Series
Consistent Performers
- Darwish Rasooli (Afghanistan): Half-centuries in back-to-back matches (84 and 68), the most consistent batter across the series.
- Rashid Khan (Afghanistan): Contributed with the ball in every match, including 2/19 and 2/13, even while his captaincy calls came under scrutiny after the decider.
- Brandon King (West Indies): The only West Indies batter to pass 40 in every single match he played meaningful overs 30, 50, and 47 across the three games.
One-Off Heroes
- Mujeeb Ur Rahman: His four-wicket burst in the second T20I was a standalone spell; he didn’t feature as prominently in the other two matches.
- Shamar Springer: A single over defined his entire series — before the hat-trick, West Indies had little to show from his bowling across the first two games.
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz: Scored 0 in the series opener but bounced back with a match-defining 71 in the decider, showing real recovery under pressure.
What People Think vs What Actually Happened
Most fans assume a 2-1 series scoreline means it was closely fought throughout. The numbers say otherwise: Afghanistan won the first two matches by a combined 77 runs, a genuinely dominant margin. The series only looked competitive because of one dramatic over in the final match.
Another common assumption is that West Indies’ third-match win was a fluke born of Afghanistan’s complacency. In reality, West Indies posted a defendable total through smart late-innings hitting from Matthew Forde, then executed a specific plan short-of-length deliveries targeting Afghanistan’s middle order that Springer converted into a hat-trick. That’s method, not luck.
Tactical Decisions That Shaped the Series
Rashid Khan’s decision to bowl first in the decider, despite having already won the series, was a deliberate stress-test of Afghanistan’s batting depth under chasing pressure exactly the scenario his team could face in a T20 World Cup knockout. It backfired in the short term but gave Afghanistan’s coaching staff genuine data on how their middle order handles a collapsing chase.
West Indies’ decision to keep Shamar Springer for the death overs in every match, even through wicketless spells in the first two games, was a bet on his execution improving with familiarity. That patience is exactly what paid off in the series-defining hat-trick.
Key Takeaways Before the T20 World Cup
- Afghanistan’s top order (Zadran, Rasooli, Atal) is genuinely one of the most in-form batting units heading into the World Cup, with three half-centuries in three innings between them.
- Afghanistan’s middle order and lower order remain vulnerable to sudden collapses under pressure exactly what Springer’s hat-trick exposed.
- West Indies found a genuine death-overs specialist in Shamar Springer, a player worth tracking closely in their World Cup squad.
- Rashid Khan’s willingness to sacrifice a dead-rubber match for tactical information shows a captain thinking beyond just winning individual games.
