Afghan cricket team in the United Arab Emirates in 2022–23

International cricket tour

Afghan cricket team in the UAE in 2022–23

	United Arab Emirates	Afghanistan
Dates	16 – 19 February 2023
Captains	Chundangapoyil Rizwan	Rashid Khan
Twenty20 International series
Results	Afghanistan won the 3-match series 2–1
Most runs	Muhammad Waseem (199)	Karim Janat (116)
Most wickets	Zahoor Khan (5)	Rashid Khan (4)

The Afghanistan men's cricket team toured the United Arab Emirates in February 2023 to play three Twenty20 International (T20I) matches.^[1] The dates for the tour were confirmed in January 2023.^[2] In November 2022, the Afghanistan Cricket Board signed a five-year agreement with the Emirates Cricket Board to play their home matches in the UAE.^[3] This was the first annual series between the two sides to be arranged as part of the agreement.^[4]

Squads

United Arab Emirates^[5]	Afghanistan^[6]
Chundangapoyil Rizwan (c) Vriitya Aravind Zawar Farid Basil Hameed Muhammad Jawadullah Aayan Afzal Khan Zahoor Khan Karthik Meiyappan Rohan Mustafa Fahad Nawaz Akif Raja Alishan Sharafu Sanchit Sharma Junaid Siddique Ansh Tandon Muhammad Waseem	Rashid Khan (c) Fareed Ahmad Noor Ahmad Sharafuddin Ashraf Fazalhaq Farooqi Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk) Karim Janat Zahir Khan Nijat Masood Gulbadin Naib Naveen-ul-Haq Azmatullah Omarzai Rahmat Shah Mujeeb Ur Rahman Ibrahim Zadran Najibullah Zadran Afsar Zazai Hazratullah Zazai

On 28 January 2023, Afghanistan named a preliminary squad of 23 players for a training camp in the UAE.^[7]

T20I series

1st T20I

16 February 2023
18:00 (D/N)
Scorecard

United Arab Emirates 142/5 (20 overs)	v	Afghanistan 146/5 (19.1 overs)
Chundangapoyil Rizwan 48 (41) Rashid Khan 2/34 (4 overs)		Karim Janat 53 (38) Junaid Siddique 2/30 (4 overs)

Afghanistan won by 5 wickets
Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Umpires: Akbar Ali (UAE) and Aasif Iqbal (UAE)
Player of the match: Karim Janat (Afg)

Afghanistan won the toss and elected to field.
Muhammad Jawadullah (UAE) made his T20I debut.

2nd T20I

18 February 2023
18:00 (D/N)
Scorecard

Afghanistan 137/6 (20 overs)	v	United Arab Emirates 138/1 (18.2 overs)
Najibullah Zadran 37* (29) Zahoor Khan 2/25 (4 overs)		Muhammad Waseem 91 (50) Karim Janat 1/13 (2 overs)

United Arab Emirates won by 9 wickets
Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Umpires: Akbar Ali (UAE) and Shiju Sam (UAE)
Player of the match: Muhammad Waseem (UAE)

Afghanistan won the toss and elected to bat.

3rd T20I

19 February 2023
18:00 (D/N)
Scorecard

United Arab Emirates 163/6 (20 overs)	v	Afghanistan 166/4 (19.1 overs)
Muhammad Waseem 75 (50) Gulbadin Naib 2/13 (2 overs)		Ibrahim Zadran 60* (51) Zahoor Khan 2/28 (4 overs)

Afghanistan won by 6 wickets
Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Umpires: Aasif Iqbal (UAE) and Shiju Sam (UAE)
Player of the match: Karim Janat (Afg)

Afghanistan won the toss and elected to field.
Zahir Khan (Afg) made his T20I debut.

References

^ "Afghanistan to tour UAE for three T20Is in February". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
^ "Afghanistan and Emirates Cricket announce February dates for UAE T20I Tour". Emirates Cricket Board. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
^ "UAE to host Afghanistan home matches after agreeing five-year deal". The Cricketer. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
^ "Afghanistan to play annual T20I series against UAE as part of new deal". The National. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
^ "ECB announce the team to represent the UAE in the upcoming 'Abu Dhabi Friendship Series' against Afghanistan". Emirates Cricket Board. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
^ "Nabi left out of Afghanistan squad for UAE T20Is; Zahir Khan, Rahmat Shah included". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
^ "ACB, ECB announce Itinerary for T20I series". Afghanistan Cricket Board. Retrieved 28 January 2023.