Afghanistan vs Pakistan Head to Head in Asia Cup Records (2026 Stats)

Pakistan are unbeaten against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup, winning all 3 meetings between the sides since Afghanistan’s tournament debut in 2014. 

While this Asia Cup record remains unblemished, it is distinct from their rivalry in other formats, where Afghanistan notably defeated Pakistan in the 2023 ODI World Cup. 

They finished on the losing side in 2014, 2018, and 2022, with two of those three defeats coming down to the final over. 

This article covers the individual who decided each match, how close Afghanistan came to breaking their duck, and what the record says about a rivalry that looks far less one-sided than the scoreline suggests. The full ranked match record comes next. 

Afghanistan vs Pakistan Asia Cup Overall Head-to-Head Record

Pakistan has won every single meeting, and none of the three games have been decided by more than three wickets in the chase.

Every match has produced a result, and Pakistan have found a way to win regardless of the format or the margin.

Afghanistan vs Pakistan Asia Cup All Match Results

Here is the complete list of Asia Cup matches played between Afghanistan and Pakistan, including the winner, margin, ground, and date of each game.

Now let’s break down what made each match stand out.

1. Fatullah 2014: Umar Akmal Rescues Pakistan From the Brink

Umar Akmal walked in with Pakistan’s innings crumbling and walked out as the man who decided the match. He turned a top-order collapse into a total too big for tournament debutants Afghanistan to chase.

Akmal made 102 not out off just 89 balls, hitting seven fours and three sixes. He added 60 runs with Anwar Ali and another 40 with Umar Gul after Pakistan had slumped to 117 for 6.

This was Afghanistan’s first-ever Asia Cup appearance. Mohammad Hafeez took 3 wickets, Saeed Ajmal took 2, and Shahid Afridi chipped in as Afghanistan lost their last four wickets for only 4 runs.

Afghanistan competed early through Noor Ali Zadran’s 44 but folded under spin pressure late on. The match showed Afghanistan could battle with the bat but still lacked the depth to finish an innings against a settled bowling attack.

2. Abu Dhabi 2018: Shoaib Malik Seals a Nervy Three-Wicket Escape

Shoaib Malik walked in with the chase still unfinished and closed it out himself. His innings turned a tense final stretch into a calm finish with three balls to spare.

Malik struck an unbeaten 51 off 43 balls, with three fours and a six, and hit the winning boundary himself. Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam had already laid the platform with a 154-run stand, Imam making 80 and Babar 63.

Hashmatullah Shahidi fell three runs short of a maiden ODI century, scoring 97, while Asghar Afghan struck 67 off just 56 balls to push Afghanistan to 257 for 6. Mohammad Nawaz took 3 wickets for Pakistan, and Shaheen Afridi, on his ODI debut, took 2.

Pakistan dropped three catches on the day and still won, a sign they leaned on individual brilliance rather than a clean team performance. Afghanistan pushed a stronger side to the final over for the second Asia Cup running, proving the gap between the sides was closing fast.

3. Sharjah 2022: Naseem Shah’s Two Sixes Steal a Lost Cause

Naseem Shah walked out to bat with Pakistan nine wickets down and the game seemingly gone. He settled it himself, striking twice in a row to finish what his batters had almost thrown away.

Naseem hit back-to-back sixes off Fazalhaq Farooqi in the final over, finishing unbeaten on 14 from just 4 balls. Shadab Khan had earlier top-scored with 36 off 26 balls and also picked up a wicket, earning him player of the match.

Pakistan slid from 87 for 3 to 118 for 9, losing six wickets for 31 runs after captain Babar Azam fell for a first-ball duck and Mohammad Rizwan went for 20. Fareed Ahmad and Farooqi both finished with 3 wickets for Afghanistan.

Afghanistan controlled most of the chase yet still finished on the losing side, extending a pattern of dominating for long stretches without closing a match out. The result eliminated both Afghanistan and India from that tournament and sent Pakistan into the final instead.

Most Runs for Pakistan vs Afghanistan in the Asia Cup

Only three matches make up this fixture, so a single big innings is enough to top the list.

Afghanistan’s two best individual scores both came in a losing effort in the same 2018 match.

Umar Akmal’s unbeaten 102 remains the standout individual knock in this fixture, and it came from No. 6 after Pakistan had lost five wickets in ten overs. Hashmatullah Shahidi’s 97 is the highest score by an Afghan batter, yet it came in a defeat, underlining how often Afghanistan’s best individual efforts have not translated into wins against Pakistan.

Most Wickets for Pakistan vs Afghanistan in the Asia Cup

Pakistan and Afghanistan have shared the wickets fairly evenly across the three games, even though Pakistan have won all of them.

No single bowler has taken more than 3 wickets in a match in this rivalry, since low totals and tight finishes have decided every game.

Mohammad Hafeez’s 3 for 29 broke Afghanistan’s middle order in 2014 and remains the most economical bowling display in the fixture. Farooqi and Fareed Ahmad both took 3 wickets in the 2022 thriller, yet Afghanistan still finished on the losing side, a recurring theme in this head-to-head.

Chasing vs Defending: The Pattern Behind Pakistan’s Unbeaten Record

Pakistan has won all three Asia Cup meetings, but not by dominating from start to finish. Every single win has come from a position of pressure, not comfort. In 2014, they were 117 for 6 before Umar Akmal rescued the innings. 

In 2018, they needed 3 wickets in hand and 3 balls to spare. In 2022, they were 9 wickets down chasing a target of just 130.

Afghanistan, by contrast, has been the team in control for long stretches of all three matches without ever finishing the job. 

Hashmatullah Shahidi and Asghar Afghan built a match-winning total in 2018 that still was not enough. Afghanistan’s bowlers reduced Pakistan to 118 for 9 in 2022 and still lost.

The individual difference has consistently been a single Pakistan player refusing to fold. Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik, and Naseem Shah played three completely different roles: a middle-order rescuer, a veteran finisher, and a No.10 pinch-hitter, yet all three delivered in the same way, at the same stage of a run chase.

Also Read:

• Bangladesh vs India Head to Head In Asiacup (Records & Stats)
• Nepal vs India Head to Head in Asia Cup (2026 Records & Stats)

Conclusion: Pakistan Leads Every Meeting, But Afghanistan Has Closed the Gap

Beyond the Asia Cup, Afghanistan finally beat Pakistan in ODI cricket at the 2023 World Cup in Chennai, ending a run of 7 straight Pakistan wins in the format when they chased down 283 by 8 wickets. 

In T20Is, the rivalry is highly competitive; Afghanistan secured their historic first-ever T20I match and series victories against Pakistan in March 2023 at Sharjah. Naseem Shah’s two sixes in Sharjah did more than beat Afghanistan. 

They sent Pakistan into the 2022 Asia Cup final, which Pakistan then lost to Sri Lanka by 23 runs, meaning that dramatic win over Afghanistan only delayed the tournament’s disappointment rather than ending it.

Pakistan are unbeaten against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup, winning all 3 meetings between the sides since Afghanistan’s tournament debut in 2014.