Pakistan vs Afghanistan live stream — how to watch the T20 World Cup game live

Babar Azam of Pakistan and Rashid Khan of Afghanistan
(Image credit: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images / Alex Davidson/Getty Images)

The Pakistan vs Afghanistan live stream features two unbeaten sides who may both have designs on reaching the T20 World Cup 2021 semi-finals.

Pakistan vs Afghanistan live stream, DATE, TIME, CHANNELS

The Pakistan vs Afghanistan live stream takes place today (Friday, October 29).
► Time 3 p.m. BST / 10 a.m. ET / 7 a.m. PT
• U.S. — Watch on Willow via Sling or Fubo.TV
• U.K. — Watch on Sky Sports
• Watch anywhere — try ExpressVPN 100% risk free

Admittedly, Afghanistan have only played one game so far, beating Scotland by a massive 130 runs, but they're a hugely improved side over the past few years and are currently ranked seventh in the world.

They also boast one of the world's top 10 T20I batsman in Hazratullah Zazai and two of the top bowlers in Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Make no mistake, Afghanistan are no pushovers. 

That said, Pakistan are undoubtedly favorites. They've won both of their T20 World Cup games so far and are now extremely well placed to qualify for the semi-finals. A win here would essentially clinch it, given they still have Scotland and Namibia to play.

They have players in form throughout the team, with Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf looking unplayable at times with the ball and Mohammad Rizwan hitting big scores in both games. Their win over New Zealand also showcased their strength in depth, with Shoaib Malik and Asif Ali outstanding in finishing the game off; Asif hit 27 off 12 balls with a strike rate of 225.

Strangely, these neighbors have only met once before in T20Is, with Pakistan the victors at the 2013 World Cup. Only a fool would bet against them doing so again.

Afghanistan have won the toss and will bat first. Here's how they line up:

Afghanistan: 1 Hazratullah Zazai, 2 Mohammad Shahzad, 3 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 4 Najibullah Zadran, 5 Mohammad Nabi (c), 6 Asghar Afghan, 7 Gulbadin Naib, 8 Karim Janat, 9 Rashid Khan, 10 Naveen-ul-Haq, 11 Mujeeb-ur-Rahman.

Pakistan: 1 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 2 Babar Azam (c), 3 Fakhar Zaman, 4 Mohammad Hafeez, 5 Shoaib Malik, 6 Asif Ali, 7 Shadab Khan, 8 Imad Wasim, 9 Hasan Ali, 10 Haris Rauf, 11 Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Will Pakistan make it three wins from three? You can find out what happens by watching the Pakistan vs Afghanistan live stream at the T20 World Cup.

And don't forget to visit our full T20 World Cup 2021 hub for a guide to how to watch every game, plus fixtures, tables and more.

How to watch the Pakistan vs Afghanistan live stream wherever you are

The Pakistan vs Afghanistan live stream will be shown on many different channels across the world, but what if you're not in your home country and want to watch it on your usual service?

The answer is to use a VPN, or virtual private network. A VPN will let you tune into your home coverage from wherever you are — meaning that if you're abroad, you can use one of the best VPN services to watch the games live as if you were in your lounge.

Our favorite right now is ExpressVPN, thanks to its combination of superb speed, great customer service and excellent device support. It also offers a no-questions-asked 30-day money-back guarantee, so you could check it out without having to sign up long term.

ExpressVPN

Speed, security and simplicity combine to make <a href="https://go.expressvpn.com/c/4550836/1330033/16063?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.expressvpn.com%2Foffer%2Ftomsguide%3Foffer%3D3monthsfree%26a_fid%3D744" data-link-merchant="expressvpn.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">ExpressVPN our favorite VPN service. In our testing, we were impressed by its fast connection times and by its ability to access more than 3,000 services in 160 locations across 94 countries. A 30-day money-back guarantee is another bonus.

Using a VPN is incredibly simple.

1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, ExpressVPN is our favorite.

2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance if you're in the U.S. and want to view a U.K. service, you'd select U.K. from the list.

3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to Sky Sports or another service and watch the T20 contest.

Exclusive Tom's Guide Discount: Save 49% on the 12-month ExpressVPN plan

How to watch the Pakistan vs Afghanistan live stream in the UK

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The Pakistan vs Afghanistan live stream will be shown live in the U.K. on Sky Sports and via the Sky Go app. You'll be able to find it on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event, with coverage starting at 2.30 p.m and the game at 3 p.m. BST. 

If you already have a Sky subscription that doesn't include Sports, you'll need to pay £22/month to add those channels. If you don't have Sky at all, it'll cost you at least £41/month, depending on which other channels you choose.

Whichever package you go for, you'll also gain access to coverage in 4K and HDR, so long as you also have an HDR-ready Sky Q box and HLG-compatible TV.

Another option is Sky's Now Sports streaming service. This gives you 24-hour access for £19.99 or month-long access for £33.99. It's available on virtually every streaming device and is a great option if you just want to watch for a fixed period. 

All sounds great, right? But if you're not in the U.K., you can still follow the Pakistan vs Afghanistan live stream by using one of the best VPN services, such as ExpressVPN.

How to watch the Pakistan vs Afghanistan live stream in the US

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Cricket fans in the U.S. can watch the Pakistan vs Afghanistan live stream on either Willow TV or ESPN Plus.

If you choose the Willow TV route, you can watch via various cable packages including Dish, Fios, Spectrum, Xfinity and more.

But if you've cut the cord and don't have cable, don't worry — because you can also watch Willow via Sling TV. You'll need a Sling subscription, which costs $35 for either the Orange or Blue package, and can then add Willow TV for $10/month or $60/year. 

However, right now Sling is offering a 30-day trial for the bargain price of $10 and Willow TV is offering its first month for just $5 — so you could watch the entire T20 World Cup 2021 for just $15. 

But what if you already use those services but aren't in the U.S. right now? As we explained above, your best bet will be to use a VPN such as ExpressVPN so you can access them wherever you are and watch the Pakistan vs Afghanistan live stream as if you were sat at home.

Sling TV

<a href="https://sling-tv.pxf.io/c/221109/1132376/14334?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sling.com%2F" data-link-merchant="sling.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Sling TV offers two packages, both of which cost $35 a month. Willow TV is available as an add-on to either. Sling is currently offering $25 dollars off the first month.

How to watch the Pakistan vs Afghanistan live stream in Australia

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Aussies also get a couple of options for where to watch the Pakistan vs Afghanistan live stream, in the form of Fox Sports or Kayo Sports

Fox is available as part of many pay TV packages, but if you don't already have it then Kayo might be a better bet. It can be accessed via a dedicated mobile or tablet app, and also on Chromecast and Apple TV — plus it costs a very reasonable $25 AUD per month for the basic package.

Plus, there's a 14-day free trial available for Kayo if you want to try the service before committing to a subscription. 

Not in Australia right now? You can simply use a VPN to watch the Pakistan vs Afghanistan live stream on your Fox or Kayo account, as if you were back home.

How to watch the Pakistan vs Afghanistan live stream in New Zealand

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New Zealanders can watch the Pakistan vs Afghanistan live stream on Sky Sport. This costs $57.98 NZD per month, or $31.99/month extra if you already have Sky but not Sport. Plus there's currently an offer which gives you your first month free when you sign up for a year.

Alternatively, you could go for the Sky Sport Now service, which gives you just the Sport channels but for a reduced cost of $19.99/week / $39.99/month or $399/year. 

Not at home in New Zealand right now? You can still follow the game by using one of the best VPN services, such as ExpressVPN

How to watch the Pakistan vs Afghanistan live stream in India

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If you're watching the Pakistan vs Afghanistan live stream in India, you'll need to tune in to either Star Sports or Disney Plus Hotstar

If you're cutting the cord and going the Hotstar route, you can pay Rs. 499/year for the new Mobile plan, which lets you watch on one mobile device, Rs. 899/year for the Super plan (2 devices, including TVs and laptops) or Rs. 1499 for Premium (4 devices plus 4K). There's more details here.

If you already subscribe to one of those services but are outside of India right now, you can simply choose one of the best VPN services such as ExpressVPN to follow the Pakistan vs Afghanistan live stream wherever you are are. 

How to watch the Pakistan vs Afghanistan live stream in Pakistan

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Lucky cricket fans in Pakistan can watch their side play in the Pakistan vs Afghanistan live stream on the state-owned channel PTV Sports — which means they can enjoy seeing their team play for free. 

It also means they can tune in via the PTV Sports website, where they can follow the Pakistan vs Afghanistan live stream without needing to sign up or create a registration of any kind.

Of course if you're usually based in Pakistan but aren't there right now, you can still enjoy your local coverage, for free, simply by signing up for a VPN such as ExpressVPN to live stream the action wherever you are are. 

VPN statement

Marc McLaren

Formerly Editor in Chief (U.K.) on Tom’s Guide, Marc oversaw all gaming, streaming, audio, TV, entertainment, how-to and cameras coverage, and was also responsible for the site’s U.K.-focused output. He is now U.K. Editor in Chief on TechRadar. Marc previously edited the tech website Stuff and has tested and written about phones, tablets, wearables, streaming boxes, smart home devices, Bluetooth speakers, headphones, games, TVs, cameras and much more. He also spent years on a music magazine, where his duties mainly involved spoiling other people’s fun, and on a car magazine. An avid photographer, he likes nothing better than taking pictures of very small things (bugs, his daughters) or very big things (distant galaxies). When he gets time, he also enjoys gaming (console and mobile), cycling and attempting to watch as much sport as any human can. He's also fallen in love with Wordle over the past six months and is the author of our today's Wordle answer column, in which he supplies hints and strategy tips for the mega-popular word game. Given he's completed every single Wordle so far and only lost once, and analyzed every Wordle answer in search of patterns, he's well qualified to help you safeguard your streak.