Afghan XI thrash Uzbekistan by 199 runs in Khost T20 friendly

Afghan XI produced a dominant all-round display to defeat the Uzbekistan National Cricket Team by 199 runs in a one-off T20 friendly played on Friday at the Rahmat Wali Masroor Cricket Ground in Khost province.

After winning the toss, Uzbekistan chose to bowl first, but the Afghan batters posted a huge total of 323/7 from 20 overs. Hasan Eisakhil led the charge with a brilliant 120-run knock, while Imran Mir scored 74, Faisal Khan Shinozada contributed 31, and Noor Rahman added 29.

Uzbekistan struggled in reply as the Afghan bowlers maintained control throughout the innings and bowled them out well short of the target. Naseer Khan Maroofkhel, Imran Mir and Wafadar Momand took two wickets each, while Faridoon Dawoodzai claimed one wicket.

Hasan Eisakhil was named Player of the Match for his match-winning century and overall performance.

The match was held as part of the Cricket Development Support Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) and the Cricket Federation of Uzbekistan in December 2025.

Through hosting such fixtures, the ACB aims to support the growth of cricket in emerging nations by sharing technical expertise and experience. The board has previously conducted development workshops for Uzbekistan’s cricket officials and players and provided training opportunities for Uzbek fast bowlers through its specialized fast-bowling programme.

After the match, Afghanistan T20I captain Ibrahim Zadran visited the Uzbekistan dressing room, praised the team’s efforts and welcomed them to Afghanistan. He expressed hope that Uzbekistan would continue touring Afghanistan in the future to further strengthen cricket ties and cooperation between the two countries.