# Afghanistan–Pakistan sports rivalries

Pakistan and Afghanistan share a regional sporting rivalry that extends into various sports, especially cricket and football. The rivalry is attributed to the historical, cultural and political relationship between the neighbouring countries.

## History

In Afghanistan, sporting contests against Pakistan are followed intensely. The rivalry, stemming from geopolitical and cultural ties between the two states, has been compared in some aspects to the more longstanding, traditional archrivalry between India and Pakistan in sports.
The two countries share a long and porous international border dating back to the 19th century, with a history of immigration and economic relations. People on both sides of the border, primarily the Pashtuns, share ethnic and cultural ties. However, at a political level, relations between both governments in the past have often been characterised as frosty, thus paving the way for a competitive rivalry in sporting encounters in recent times.

## Olympics

Afghanistan made its first appearance at the Summer Olympics in 1936, while Pakistan's first appearance was in 1948. Pakistan have won 11 Olympic medals since 1956, including four golds. Afghanistan have won two bronze medals, in 2008 and 2012, with The Guardian reporting that there was "elation that Afghanistan had bettered" their medal tally against Pakistan in the 2012 games.
As of the 2024 Summer Olympics:
| | Pakistan | Afghanistan |
| Medal ranking | 78th | 150th |
| Gold | 4 | 0 |
| Silver | 3 | 0 |
| Bronze | 4 | 2 |
| Total | 11 | 2 |

### Head to head

Pakistani and Afghan athletes have only directly competed against each other at the Olympics in men's wrestling events. Every time Pakistani athletes have come out on top. In 1960, Pakistan's Muhammad Akhtar defeated Afghanistan's Mohammad Ebrahim Khedri in the first round of the freestyle featherweight category by 4–0. In the freestyle middleweight category, Pakistan's Faiz Muhammad beat Afghanistan's Mohammad Asif Kohkan in the third round by 3–1. In the freestyle heavyweight category, Pakistan's Muhammad Nazir also won against Afghanistan's Nizamuddin Subhani in the second round by 3–1.
In 1972, Pakistan's Muhammad Yaghoub and Afghanistan's Shakar Khan Shakar drew in the second round of the freestyle 74 kg event.

## Cricket
### History

Cricket in Afghanistan was popularised by Afghan expatriates who learnt the sport while living in Pakistan in the 1980s and 1990s, during the post-Soviet invasion era. Most members of the early Afghanistan national cricket team grew up in northwest Pakistan and participated in the country's domestic cricket structure, making use of cricket facilities in Peshawar with the support of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). It was during this time that the Afghanistan Cricket Federation (now ACB) was also founded, in 1995. The ACF received recognition from the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2001.
Several future cricketers representing Afghanistan emerged from Peshawar's club cricket scene, establishing an Afghan cricket club to compete against other local Pakistani sides in the 1990s. Afghanistan fielded their cricket team in Pakistan's domestic setup for the first time in the 2001–02 season, participating in the second division of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy where they drew two and lost three of their five games. They returned for the Cornelius Trophy in the 2002–03 season, drawing one and losing three matches. In the 2003–04 season, they made an appearance in the PCB's inter-district tournament in Peshawar, where they registered their lone victory against Swabi, drew twice and lost two matches.
The Afghanistan national team was coached by former Pakistani cricketers Kabir Khan and Rashid Latif in its initial years. During this period, a number of Afghan international cricketers made appearances for Pakistani domestic outfits in the first-class circuit. In 2010, Afghanistan competed at the Asian Games, a non-ICC T20 event hosted by China, where they defeated a second-string Pakistan side by 22 runs in the semi-finals in what was considered an upset. In May 2011, the Afghan side embarked on a tour of Pakistan to partake in a three-match limited overs series against Pakistan A, where they were whitewashed by the home side 3–0. They followed this up with another tour in September to participate in Pakistan's domestic National T20 Cup in Karachi as the Afghan Cheetahs, but had another poor outing, losing all three of their matches.
On 10 February 2012, Afghanistan played a one-off One Day International (ODI) match against Pakistan at Sharjah, the first ever official game between the two sides and also the first ever ODI between an Affiliate and a Test-playing nation. Billed as a historic occasion for Afghan cricket, the game was won comfortably by Pakistan by seven wickets with 13 overs to spare.
In February 2013, Afghanistan visited Pakistan to play a series of limited-overs matches against the Pakistan A team and some regional sides. They played five one-dayers and a Twenty20 at three venues around the country. They won their first limited overs game against Hyderabad–Karachi by nine wickets, but lost their matches against Bahawalpur–Multan and Faisalabad–Rawalpindi. In their matches against Pakistan A, they were clean sweeped by the Pakistani side 2–0 in the one day series and 1–0 in the T20 series. In March, the PCB and ACB inked a two-year memorandum of understanding allowing Afghanistan to use Pakistan's cricket facilities such as the National Cricket Academy and seek technical assistance for the purpose of further developing Afghan cricket. Later in December that year, Pakistan and Afghanistan faced each other in a one-off T20I in Sharjah, where Pakistan prevailed with a six wicket victory with a ball to spare. Since then, the two sides have clashed in the ODI and T20I formats on multiple occasions. In World Cup 2023 Afghanistan beat Pakistan in a match played on October 23, 2023. Ibrahim Zadran, who was awarded player of the match award, dedicated the win to “people who are sent from Pakistan back home to Afghanistan”. His statement was considered controversial especially from Pakistan side amid the decision from Pakistan to deport all illegal Afghan citizens.

### Summary of results

| Format | Matches played | Pakistan won | Afghanistan won | Draw/Tie/No Result |
| ODI | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| T20I | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| Total | 15 | 11 | 4 | 0 |

#### ICC tournaments

The teams have met on three occasions in ICC tournaments, with Pakistan winning two of these meetings and Afghanistan winning one.
| Tournament | Matches played | Pakistan won | Afghanistan won | Draw/Tie/No result |
| World Cup | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| T20 World Cup | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |

#### ACC tournaments

In Asian Cricket Council (ACC) tournaments, both sides have met on five occasions. Pakistan have won on three occasions, while Afghanistan have won two games.
| Tournament | Matches played | Pakistan won | Afghanistan won | Draw/Tie/No result |
| Asia Cup ODI | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Asia Cup T20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Asian Games | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 |

### List of ODI series

| Year(s) | Host | Date of first match | Matches | Pakistan won | Afghanistan won | Tie/No Result | Winner |
| 2011–12 | United Arab Emirates | 10 February 2012 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Pakistan |
| 2023 | Sri Lankan | 22 August 2023 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | Pakistan |

### List of T20I series

| Year(s) | Host | Date of first match | Matches | Pakistan won | Afghanistan won | Tie/No Result | Winner |
| 2013–14 | United Arab Emirates | 8 December 2013 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Pakistan |
| 2022–23 | United Arab Emirates | 24 March 2023 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | Afghanistan |

### Records
#### ODI records

The following are team and individual records in One Day Internationals played between the two sides.

##### Team

Highest innings total :
| Score | Team | Venue | Season |
| 302/9 (49.5 overs) | Pakistan | Hambantota | 2023 |
| 257/6 (50.0 overs) | Afghanistan | Abu Dhabi | 2018–19 |
| 248/8 (50.0 overs) | Pakistan | Fatullah | 2013–14 |
| 258/7 (49.3 overs) | Pakistan | Abu Dhabi | 2018–19 |
| 257/6 (50.0 overs) | Afghanistan | Abu Dhabi | 2018–19 |
| 248/8 (50.0 overs) | Pakistan | Fatullah | 2013–14 |
| Source: ESPNcricinfo. ||||
Lowest innings total :
| Score | Team | Venue | Season |
| 59 (19.2 overs) | Afghanistan | Hambantota | 2023 |
| 195 (48.3 overs) | Afghanistan | Sharjah | 2011–12 |
| 176 (47.2 overs) | Afghanistan | Fatullah | 2013–14 |
| 195 (48.3 overs) | Afghanistan | Sharjah | 2011–12 |
| 227/9 (50.0 overs) | Afghanistan | Leeds | 2019 |
| Source: ESPNcricinfo. ||||
Largest victory (by runs) :
| Margin | Winning team | Venue | Season |
| 142 runs | Pakistan | Hambantota | 2023 |
| 72 runs | Pakistan | Fatullah | 2013–14 |
| Source: ESPNcricinfo. ||||
Smallest victory (by wickets) :
| Margin | Winning team | Venue | Season |
| 1 wickets | Pakistan | Hambantota | 2023 |
| 3 wickets | Pakistan | Abu Dhabi | 2018–19 |
| 3 wickets | Pakistan | Leeds | 2019 |
| Source: ESPNcricinfo. ||||

##### Individual

Most career runs :
| Runs | Player | Years |
| 149 (3 innings) | Asghar Afghan (Afghanistan) | 2014–19 |
| 116 (2 innings) | Imam-ul-Haq (Pakistan) | 2018–present |
| 111 (2 innings) | Babar Azam (Pakistan) | 2018–present |
| Source: ESPNcricinfo. |||
Highest individual score :
| Runs | Player | Venue | Date |
| 102* | Umar Akmal (Pakistan) | Fatullah | 27 Feb 2014 |
| 97* | Hashmatullah Shahidi (Afghanistan) | Abu Dhabi | 21 Sep 2018 |
| 80 | Imam-ul-Haq (Pakistan) | Abu Dhabi | 21 Sep 2018 |
| Source: ESPNcricinfo. ||||
Most career wickets :
| Wickets | Player | Matches | Bowling average |
| 6 | Shahid Afridi (Pakistan) | 2 | 11.16 |
| 6 | Shaheen Shah Afridi (Pakistan) | 2 | 14.16 |
| 4 | Wahab Riaz (Pakistan) | 2 | 16.50 |
| Source: ESPNcricinfo. ||||
Best bowling figures :
| Bowling | Player | Venue | Date |
| 5/36 | Shahid Afridi (Pakistan) | Sharjah | 10 Feb 2012 |
| 4/47 | Shaheen Shah Afridi (Pakistan) | Leeds | 29 Jun 2019 |
| 3/29 | Mohammad Hafeez (Pakistan) | Fatullah | 27 Feb 2014 |
| Source: ESPNcricinfo. ||||

#### T20I records

The following are team and individual records in Twenty20 Internationals played between the two sides.

##### Team

Highest innings total :
| Score | Team | Venue | Season |
| 148/5 (19.0 overs) | Pakistan | Dubai | 2021–22 |
| 147/6 (20.0 overs) | Afghanistan | Dubai | 2021–22 |
| 138/4 (19.5 overs) | Pakistan | Sharjah | 2013–14 |
| Source: ESPNcricinfo. ||||
Lowest innings total :
| Score | Team | Venue | Season |
| 129/6 (20.0 overs) | Afghanistan | Sharjah | 2022 |
| 137/8 (20.0 overs) | Afghanistan | Sharjah | 2013–14 |
| 147/6 (20.0 overs) | Afghanistan | Dubai | 2021–22 |
| Source: ESPNcricinfo. ||||
Largest victory (by wickets) :
| Margin | Winning team | Venue | Season |
| 6 wickets | Pakistan | Sharjah | 2013–14 |
| Source: ESPNcricinfo. ||||
Smallest victory (by wickets) :
| Margin | Winning team | Venue | Season |
| 1 wicket | Pakistan | Sharjah | 2022 |
| Source: ESPNcricinfo. ||||

##### Individual

Most career runs :
| Runs | Player | Years |
| 88 (4 innings) | Mohammad Nabi (Afghanistan) | 2013–present |
| 77 (4 innings) | Najibullah Zadran (Afghanistan) | 2013–present |
| 52 (2 innings) | Mohammad Hafeez (Pakistan) | 2013–2021 |
| Source: ESPNcricinfo. |||
Highest individual score :
| Runs | Player | Venue | Date |
| 51 | Babar Azam (Pakistan) | Dubai | 29 Oct 2021 |
| 42* | Mohammad Hafeez (Pakistan) | Sharjah | 8 Dec 2013 |
| 38 | Najibullah Zadran (Afghanistan) | Sharjah | 8 Dec 2013 |
| Source: ESPNcricinfo. ||||
Most career wickets :
| Wickets | Player | Matches | Bowling average |
| 4 | Rashid Khan (Afghanistan) | 2 | 12.75 |
| 3 | Junaid Khan (Pakistan) | 1 | 8.00 |
| 3 | Fareed Ahmad (Afghanistan) | 1 | 10.33 |
| Source: ESPNcricinfo. ||||
Best bowling figures :
| Bowling | Player | Venue | Date |
| 3/24 | Junaid Khan (Pakistan) | Sharjah | 8 Dec 2013 |
| 3/31 | Fazalhaq Farooqi (Afghanistan) | Sharjah | 7 Sep 2022 |
| 3/31 | Fareed Ahmad (Afghanistan) | Sharjah | 7 Sep 2022 |
| Source: ESPNcricinfo. ||||

## Football

The national teams of Pakistan and Afghanistan regularly held sporting events in early years, but diplomatic ties were cut after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. The ensuing civil war and political instability in Afghanistan prevented the two sides from meeting again until 2003. Contests against Pakistan generate much enthusiasm amongst Afghan football fans on account of their mutual relations and have been referred to as a "rivalry", although the interest in Pakistan toward the rivalry and for football in general is more muted.

### Matches

| # | Date | Venue | Competition | Home team | Score | Away team | Goals (home) | Goals (away) |
| 1 | 14 January 2003 | Bangabandhu Stadium Dhaka, Bangladesh | 2003 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup | Pakistan | 1–0 | Afghanistan | Rasool 9' | |
| 2 | 9 December 2005 | People's Football Stadium Karachi, Pakistan | 2005 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup | Pakistan | 1–0 | Afghanistan | Essa 55' | |
| 3 | 20 August 2013 | Afghanistan Football Federation Stadium Kabul, Afghanistan | Friendly | Afghanistan | 3–0 | Pakistan | Ahmadi 20' Hatifi 32' Mohammadi 71' | |
| 4 | 6 February 2015 | Punjab Stadium Lahore, Pakistan | Friendly | Pakistan | 2–1 | Afghanistan | Riaz 18' Saadullah 91' | Sharifi 56' |

### Summary of results

| Pakistan wins | 3 |
| Afghanistan wins | 1 |
| Draws | 0 |
| Total matches | 4 |
| Pakistan goals | 4 |
| Afghanistan goals | 4 |