Twenty20 International (T20I) is a form of cricket played between two of the international members of the International Cricket Council (ICC), in which each team faces a maximum of twenty overs. The matches have top-class status and are the highest T20 standard. The game is played under the rules of Twenty20 cricket.[1][2] The first Twenty20 International match between two men's sides was played on 17 February 2005, involving Australia and New Zealand. Wisden Cricketers' Almanack reported that "neither side took the game especially seriously",[3] and it was noted by ESPNcricinfo that but for a large score for Ricky Ponting, "the concept would have shuddered".[4] However, Ponting himself said "if it does become an international game then I'm sure the novelty won't be there all the time".[5]
This is a list of Afghanistan Cricket team's Twenty20 International records. It is based on the List of Twenty20 International records, but concentrates solely on records dealing with the Afghan cricket team. Afghanistan played its first ever T20I in 2010.
The top five records are listed for each category, except for the team wins, losses, draws and ties, all round records and the partnership records. Tied records for fifth place are also included. Explanations of the general symbols and cricketing terms used in the list are given below. Specific details are provided in each category where appropriate. All records include matches played for Afghanistan only, and are correct as of August 2020[update].
Key
Symbol
Meaning
†
Player or umpire is currently active in T20I cricket
As of September 2022[update], Afghanistan has played 130 T20I matches resulting in 79 victories, 48 defeats, 2 ties and 0 no results for an overall winning percentage of 60.76.[6]
A T20I match is won when one side has scored more runs than the runs scored by the opposing side during their innings. If both sides have completed both their allocated innings and the side that fielded last has the higher aggregate of runs, it is known as a win by runs. This indicates the number of runs that they had scored more than the opposing side. If the side batting last wins the match, it is known as a win by wickets, indicating the number of wickets that were still to fall.[24]
The greatest winning margin by balls remaining in T20Is was Austria's victory over Turkey by 104 balls remaining in the ninth match of the 2019 Continental Cup.[27] The largest victory recorded by Afghanistan is during the final of the 2017 Desert T20 Challenge against Ireland when they won by 10 wickets with 73 balls remaining.[28]
A total of 22 matches have ended with chasing team winning by 10 wickets with New Zealand winning by such margins a record three times.[29] Afghanistan have won a T20I match by this margin on one occasion.[26]
Australia holds the record for the highest successful run chase which they achieved when they scored 245/5/9 in response to New Zealand's 243/6.[30] Afghanistan's highest innings total while chasing is 191/5 in a successful run chase against Zimbabwe at Bulawayo, Zimbabwe during the Afghanistan's tour of Zimbabwe in 2015.[31]
The narrowest winning margin by balls remaining in T20Is is by winning of the last ball which has been achieved 26 times. Afghanistan has yet to achieve victory of the last ball.[34]
The narrowest margin of victory by wickets is 1 wicket which has settled four such T20Is. The narrowest victory by wickets for Afghanistan is three wickets.[35]
The largest defeat suffered by Afghanistan was against Bangladesh in Bangladesh during the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 when they lost by 9 wickets with 48 balls remaining.[28]
A tie can occur when the scores of both teams are equal at the conclusion of play, provided that the side batting last has completed their innings.[24] Afghanistan have been involved in 2 ties.[6]
A run is the basic means of scoring in cricket. A run is scored when the batsman hits the ball with his bat and with his partner runs the length of 22 yards (20 m) of the pitch.[38]Mohammad Nabi is the leading Afghan batsmen on this list.[39]
A half-century is a score of between 50 and 99 runs. Statistically, once a batsman's score reaches 100, it is no longer considered a half-century but a century.
Ravija Sandaruwan of Kuwait holds the record for highest strike rate, with minimum 250 balls faced qualification, with 165.80.[94]Hazratullah Zazai is the Afghan with the highest strike rate.
Dwayne Smith of West Indies strike rate of 414.28 during his 29 off 7 balls against Bangladesh during 2007 ICC World Twenty20 is the world record for highest strike rate in an innings. Najibullah Zadran holds the top two positions for an Afghanistan player in this list.[96]
Paul Stirling of Ireland holds the record for most runs scored in a calendar year with 748 runs scored in 2019. Mohommad Shhazad scored 520 runs in 2016, the most for an Afghanistan batsmen in a year.[98]
A duck refers to a batsman being dismissed without scoring a run.[102]Tillakaratne Dilshan of Sri Lanka, Pakistan's Umar Akmal and Ireland's Kevin O'Brien has scored the equal highest number of ducks in T20Is with 10 such knocks. Afghanistan's Shafiqullah and Asghar Afghan with 5 ducks have the highest number of such knocks for Afghanistan.[103]
A bowler's bowling average is the total number of runs they have conceded divided by the number of wickets they have taken.
Nepalan's Sandeep Lamichhane holds the record for the best career average in T20Is with 12.56. Ajantha Mendis, Sri Lankan cricketer, is second behind Sandeep with an overall career average of 14.42 runs per wicket.[132]
A bowler's economy rate is the total number of runs they have conceded divided by the number of overs they have bowled.[102]
New Zealand's Daniel Vettori, holds the T20I record for the best career economy rate with 5.70. Rashid Khan, with a rate of 6.14 runs per over conceded over his 47-match T20I career, is the highest Afghan on the list.[134]
A bowler's strike rate is the total number of balls they have bowled divided by the number of wickets they have taken.[102]
The top bowler with the best T20I career strike rate is Rashid Khan of Afghanistan with strike rate of 12.3 balls per wicket.[136]
Pakistan's Umar Gul has taken the most four-wickets (or over) among all the bowlers. Rashid khan is the leading Afghan bowler with five such hauls.[137]
The best strike rate in an inning, when a minimum of 4 wickets are taken by the player, is by Steve Tikolo of Kenya during his spell of 4/2 in 1.2 overs against Scotland during the 2013 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier at ICC Academy, Dubai, UAE. Rashid Khan during his spell of 5/3 in two overs achieved the best strike rate for an Afghan bowler.[141]
Kasun Rajitha also holds the dubious distinction of most runs conceded in a T20I during the aforementioned match. Shapoor Zadran with figures of 1/60 off his four overs against Ireland in March 2017 holds the most runs conceded distinction for Afghanistan.[146]
Australia's Andrew Tye holds the record for most wickets taken in a year when he took 31 wickets in 2018 in 19 T20Is. Rashid Khan took 23 wickets in 2016, the most for an Afghan bowler.[148]
In cricket, a hat-trick occurs when a bowler takes three wickets with consecutive deliveries. The deliveries may be interrupted by an over bowled by another bowler from the other end of the pitch or the other team's innings, but must be three consecutive deliveries by the individual bowler in the same match. Only wickets attributed to the bowler count towards a hat-trick; run outs do not count.
In T20Is history there have been just 13 hat-tricks, the first achieved by Brett Lee for Australia against Bangladesh in 2007 ICC World Twenty20.[152]
The wicket-keeper is a specialist fielder who stands behind the stumps being guarded by the batsman on strike and is the only member of the fielding side allowed to wear gloves and leg pads.[154]
A wicket-keeper can be credited with the dismissal of a batsman in two ways, caught or stumped. A fair catch is taken when the ball is caught fully within the field of play without it bouncing after the ball has touched the striker's bat or glove holding the bat,[155][156] Laws 5.6.2.2 and 5.6.2.3 state that the hand or the glove holding the bat shall be regarded as the ball striking or touching the bat while a stumping occurs when the wicket-keeper puts down the wicket while the batsman is out of his ground and not attempting a run.[157]
Afghanistan's Mohammad Shahzad is fifth in taking most dismissals in T20Is as a designated wicket-keeper with India's MS Dhoni and West Indian Denesh Ramdin heading the list.[158]
Four wicket-keepers on four occasions have taken five dismissals in a single innings in a T20I. Mohammad Shahzad of Afghanistan has also achieved this feat.[164]
The feat of taking 4 dismissals in an innings has been achieved by 19 wicket-keepers on 26 occasions.[165]
Caught is one of the nine methods a batsman can be dismissed in cricket.[a] The majority of catches are caught in the slips, located behind the batsman, next to the wicket-keeper, on the off side of the field. Most slip fielders are top order batsmen.[170][171]
South Africa's David Miller holds the record for the most catches in T20Is by a non-wicket-keeper with 57, followed by Shoaib Malik of Pakistan on 50 and New Zealand's Martin Guptill with 47. Mohammad Nabi is the leading catcher for Afghanistan.[172]
The feat of taking 4 catches in an innings has been achieved by 14 fielders on 14 occasions. .[174] No Afghan fielder has achieved this feat. The most is three catches on three occasions.[175]
The 2019 ICC Men's T20 World Cup Qualifier, which saw Netherlands retain their title,[177] saw the record set for the most catches taken by a non-wicket-keeper in a T20I series. Jersey'sBen Stevens and Namibia'sJJ Smit took 10 catches in the series. Asghar Afghan, Mohammad Nabi and Shafiqullah with 5 catches in the same series are the leading Afghan fielders on this list.[178]
Pakistan's Shoaib Malik holds the record for the most T20I matches played with 116, followed by Rohit Sharma of India with 108 and Ross Taylor of New Zealand with 102 games. Mohammad Nabi is the most experienced Afghanistan players having represented the team on 78 occasions.[180]
In cricket, two batsmen are always present at the crease batting together in a partnership. This partnership will continue until one of them is dismissed, retires or the innings comes to a close.
A wicket partnership describes the number of runs scored before each wicket falls. The first wicket partnership is between the opening batsmen and continues until the first wicket falls. The second wicket partnership then commences between the not out batsman and the number three batsman. This partnership continues until the second wicket falls. The third wicket partnership then commences between the not out batsman and the new batsman. This continues down to the tenth wicket partnership. When the tenth wicket has fallen, there is no batsman left to partner so the innings is closed.
An asterisk (*) signifies an unbroken partnership (i.e. neither of the batsmen was dismissed before either the end of the allotted overs or the required score being reached). Last updated: 24 June 2024[200]
An umpire in cricket is a person who officiates the match according to the Laws of Cricket. Two umpires adjudicate the match on the field, whilst a third umpire has access to video replays, and a fourth umpire looks after the match balls and other duties. The records below are only for on-field umpires.
Ahsan Raza of Pakistan holds the record for the most T20I matches umpired with 49. The most experienced Aghani umpire is Ahmed Shah Pakteen with 20 matches officiated so far.[201]
Australia
Bangladesh
England
India
Ireland
New Zealand
Pakistan
South Africa
Sri Lanka
West Indies
Zimbabwe
Canada
Hong Kong
Kenya
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
Oman
Papua New Guinea
Scotland
United Arab Emirates
Uganda
Afghanistan (278/3) v 
