By Chalien Dantes

The West Indies senior men suffered a tough start to their T20 series in the UAE, falling to Afghanistan by 38 runs on January 19^th, just a day after their U19 side lost to the same opponents in the ICC U19 World Cup.

With the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 around the corner, the senior squad was hoping to build momentum, but Afghanistan had other plans.

After winning the toss, Afghanistan chose to bat and immediately faced a setback when Rahmanullah Gurbaz was run out on the very first ball by Gudakesh Motie. But the Afghan side quickly regrouped, thanks to a record-breaking 162 run partnership for the third wicket between Ibrahim Zadran (87) and Darwish Rasooli (84), the highest third wicket stand ever for Afghanistan in T20 internationals. Dropped catches along the way helped Afghanistan post a challenging 181-3 from 20 overs.

The Windies struggled to find their rhythm in response. Veteran Johnson Charles was the only top-five batsman to reach double figures, scoring 27 off 16 balls, including three fours and two sixes. Debutant Quentin Sampson impressed with 30 off 24 deliveries, and he received some support from Matthew Forde (25) and Gudakesh Motie (28). Still, the Afghan attack proved too strong, bowling out the Caribbean side for 143.

With the series still wide open, Daren Sammy’s men must regroup quickly. The second T20 is set for January 21, and the West Indies will be looking to finally break their winless streak in the UAE.