After blockbuster Sunday, two minnows -- Afghanistan and Scotland -- will face off in the 17th match of ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021 in Sharjah, UAE on Monday. (More Cricket News)
Afghanistan gained a direct qualification for Super 12, but Scotland survived a rigorous round one to book their ticket for the tournament proper, which kicked off with a thrilling Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh match in Group 1 on Sunday. Monday's Afghanistan vs Scotland clash will be second for Group 2, which also has India, Namibia, New Zealand and Pakistan.
Notwithstanding their controversial build-up [Read: Taliban], Afghanistan have shown what they are capable of in the two-warm ups that they played in the lead up to the tournament. They lost to South Africa before wrapping up their preparations with a win over defending champions West Indies.
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Scotland are also high on confidence after winning all their matches in the first round, including a famous win over Bangladesh. They showed character against sixth-ranked Bangladesh as they came from an almost hopeless situation to stun their seasoned opponents.
Head-to-head
This will be their seventh T20I meeting. Afghanistan have won all six matches so far played against Scotland.
Overall, Afghanistan have a 58-26, head-to-head record in their previous 84 matches. Scotland have a 34-35, win-loss record overall with one tied and three no results from their previous 73 matches.
Match and telecast details
Match: ICC Men's T20 World Cup, Super 12, Group 2 match between Afghanistan and Scotland
Date: October 25 (Monday), 2021
Time: 7:30 PM IST/6:00 PM Local
Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah, UAE
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The following channels will broadcast the Afghanistan and Scotland match: Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports 2, Star Sports 2 HD, Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports 1 Hindi HD, Star Sports 1 Tamil, Star Sports 1 Telugu, Star Sports 1 Kannada.
The live streaming of the Afghanistan vs Scotland match will be available on Disney+ Hotstar App.
Players to watch out for
For Afghanistan, a lot will depend on openers Hazratullah Zazai and Mohammad Shahzad in the batting department with Najibullah Zadran and skipper Mohammad Nabi expected to get quick runs in the middle and death overs. The spin trio of Rashid Khan, Nabi and Mujeeb Zadran can trouble the best of batters and considering the slow and low nature of the Sharjah pitch in the IPL, they should enjoy bowling on the surface laid out for the World Cup game.
For Scotland, the new ball duo of Bradley Wheal and Josh Davey has been impressive while left-arm spinner Mark Watt has been effective in the middle overs. Captain Kyle Coetzer, George Munsey and Richie Berrington will be the key batters.
Squads
Afghanistan: Rashid Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Hazratullah Zazai, Usman Ghani, Asghar Afghan, Mohammad Nabi (captain), Najibullah Zadran, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Mohammad Shahzad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Karim Janat, Gulbadin Naib, Naveen-ul-Haq, Hamid Hassan, Fareed Ahmad.
Scotland: Kyle Coetzer (captain), Richie Berrington, Dylan Budge, Matthew Cross, Josh Davey, Alasdair Evans, Chris Greaves, Michael Leask, Calum MacLeod, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Hamza Tahir, Craig Wallace, Mark Watt, Bradley Wheal.
