10:00 AM UTC: Scotland vs Afghanistan, Group 2, Super 12s, ICC Men’s T20 World Cup
Scotland will face off Afghanistan in what will be both teams’ opening Super 12s fixtures of the tournament. Scotland stormed through the First Round with three wins in three games, including a triumph over Bangladesh while Afghanistan showed its strengths in the Warm-ups.
Will Scotland continue to have a sweet journey?
Scotland did a fantastic job of clearing the first round and both their batters and bowlers have shown the ability to win matches. The middle-order has been impressive with Richie Berrington leading the way through a couple of match-defining knocks, Matthew Cross has done a great job of anchoring the innings while Chis Greaves finished the innings against Bangladesh in a spectacular style.
The top order has struggled a little with Munsey and Coetzer not making a big imprint, however, Coetzer did play a handy 40-runs odd knock versus Oman. If the top-order also clicks and the middle-order continues its form, many teams can find Scotland tough to tackle.
The Scottish bowling has shown both striking and economical ability. Mark Watt has been sharp as the spinner and has given his team a handy option in the middle overs. Josh Davey has been the main striking bowler and has disturbed batters with his movement. Meanwhile, Brad Wheal is the fastest bowler in the team and if he finds his form then the oppositions are in big trouble.
The spin domination of Afghanis
The spin trio of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Mohammad Nabi is perhaps unrivaled by any team in the tournament. Rashid is one of the best, if not the best T20 spinner and his googly is often to pick up. Mujeeb is a bold bowler and has shown the ability to extract wickets even on batting-friendly wickets. Meanwhile, Nabi can also provide tremendous control and also possesses striking abilities. Naveen-ul-Haq and Karim Janat have proven to be viable pace options to start but the team is spin-oriented.
In terms of batting, Hazratullah Zazai is a powerful hitter and can go big and long and Shahzad does more of the same. Meanwhile, Gurbaz provides more compact and anchoring strokeplay. Mohammad Nabi has completed various rescue acts for Afghanistan while Asghar Afghan brings experience and Najibullah Zadran has a terrific average in the middle-order. Karim Janat can hoick a few while Rashid Khan and Gulbadin Naib have also shown the ability to hit sixes and fours.
