Afghanistan will square off against West Indies in the second T20I of the three-match series, which will be played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on January 21. Afghanistan will go into this match full of confidence, having won the first match of their series against West Indies, whereas West Indies will try to recover and keep their series alive.

In the first T20I, Afghanistan showed strong batting after choosing to bat first. They scored 181 for 3 in 20 overs, with solid performance by Ibrahim Zadran (87* off 56) and Darwish Rasooli (84 off 59). The two players built a long partnership and controlled the innings from start to finish. For West Indies, Gudakesh Motie stood out with the ball, allowing only 18 runs in his spell. 

Pursuing the target, West Indies struggled and started losing wickets at regular intervals. They were reduced to half their side before the halfway mark. Debutant Quentin Sampson was the top scorer with 30 runs, but none of the other batters could build a big partnership. Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman led Afghanistan’s bowling attack, picking up two wickets each to seal a comfortable 38-run win.

AFG vs WI: Pitch Report

The surface in Dubai has been good for batting, especially with the new ball. Batters who settle in early can score freely. Spinners tend to get more assistance as the ball ages. Teams will try to take advantage of the power play since scoring runs gets tougher later in the innings. 

AFG vs WI: Head-to-Head Record (T20Is)

• Matches Played: 9
• Afghanistan Won: 4
• West Indies Won: 5
• Tied: 0
• No Result: 0

See Also: SA20 2025-26, Qualifier 1: SEC vs PC head-to-head, pitch report & predicted playing XIs

AFG vs WI: Predicted Playing XIs

Afghanistan (AFG):

Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan (c), Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Ziaur Rahman Sharifi

West Indies (WI):

Brandon King (c), Evin Lewis, Johnson Charles (wk), Amir Jangoo, Shimron Hetmyer, Quentin Sampson, Matthew Forde, Gudakesh Motie, Shamar Joseph, Khary Pierre, Jayden Seales