[1][2][3] The rivalry, stemming from geopolitical and cultural ties between the two states, has been compared in some aspects to the more longstanding, traditional archrivalry between India and Pakistan in sports.

[2] The two countries share a long and porous international border dating back to the 19th century, with a history of immigration and economic relations.

[2] However, at a political level, relations between both governments in the past have often been characterised as frosty, thus paving the way for a competitive rivalry in sporting encounters in recent times.

In 1960, Pakistan's Muhammad Akhtar defeated Afghanistan's Mohammad Ebrahim Khedri in the first round of the freestyle featherweight category by 4–0.

[8] In the freestyle middleweight category, Pakistan's Faiz Muhammad beat Afghanistan's Mohammad Asif Kohkan in the third round by 3–1.

[9] In the freestyle heavyweight category, Pakistan's Muhammad Nazir also won against Afghanistan's Nizamuddin Subhani in the second round by 3–1.

[11] Cricket in Afghanistan was popularised by Afghan expatriates who learnt the sport while living in Pakistan in the 1980s and 1990s, during the post-Soviet invasion era.

[13] Afghanistan fielded their cricket team in Pakistan's domestic setup for the first time in the 2001–02 season, participating in the second division of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy where they drew two and lost three of their five games.

[16] In the 2003–04 season, they made an appearance in the PCB's inter-district tournament in Peshawar, where they registered their lone victory against Swabi, drew twice and lost two matches.

[15][17] The Afghanistan national team was coached by former Pakistani cricketers Kabir Khan and Rashid Latif in its initial years.

[1][12] During this period, a number of Afghan international cricketers made appearances for Pakistani domestic outfits in the first-class circuit.

[2][18][19] In 2010, Afghanistan competed at the Asian Games, a non-ICC T20 event hosted by China, where they defeated a second-string Pakistan side by 22 runs in the semi-finals in what was considered an upset.

[21][18] They followed this up with another tour in September to participate in Pakistan's domestic National T20 Cup in Karachi as the Afghan Cheetahs, but had another poor outing, losing all three of their matches.

[23] Billed as a historic occasion for Afghan cricket, the game was won comfortably by Pakistan by seven wickets with 13 overs to spare.