Afghanistan click with bat and ball in perfect start to T20 World Cup campaign

Mujeeb Ur Rahman claimed five wickets after Afghanistan's batting line-up had hit 11 sixes in a dominant display against previously unbeaten Scotland

Sharjah: Afghanistan 190-4, Scotland 60 - Afghanistan win by 130 runs

Scorecard

Afghanistan began their T20 World Cup campaign with a dominant victory over Scotland, overawing Kyle Coetzer’s side with bat and ball.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman claimed five wickets and Rashid Khan took four as Scotland, who had begun a daunting chase in positive fashion, collapsed in a heap at the hands of world-class spin bowling.

Coetzer and George Munsey put together a 28-run stand for the first wicket in just 20 balls before the house of cards fell to leave the Scots – with a perfect record before Monday afternoon – 37 for 5 at the end of the powerplay.

Rashid had not even bowled at that stage, offering a reminder of quite how dangerous this Afghanistan unit has the potential to be in conditions that favour their group of high-quality spinners.

Earlier, they had rushed to 190 for 4 at Sharjah, the smallest ground in use for this tournament – though several of the sixes struck by their top order would have cleared the ropes at any venue in the global game.

Najibullah Zadran smashed 59, with Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Shahzad, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Mohammad Nabi all contributing brutal cameos. In all, there were 11 sixes, a figure that places them at the top of the tree in the competition so far despite only entering the fray at the Super 12s stage.

No Scotland bowler was spared, with each taken for at least one six, though Mark Watt was by a distance the most economical, with the other four overs of spin – bowled by Michael Leask and Chris Greaves – costing 48 runs.

^{Najibullah Zadran made 59 for Afghanistan}

With the bat, they were unfortunate to come out on the wrong end of tight lbw decisions against Calum Macleod, Richie Berrington and Michael Leask – all of which were deemed to be Umpire’s Call on review – but it was clear that they were struggling to pick Mujeeb’s several variations.

First, Coetzer was deceived by a ball that drifted through the gate and lost his middle stump, before Macleod was beaten on the inside edge by a delivery that would have clipped his leg-stump. Berrington fell similarly, though on the back foot, to give Mujeeb a third in the over. Then, wicketkeeper Matt Cross was brilliantly caught in one hand by Shahzad, his opposite number, after edging Naveen-ul-Haq behind.

Munsey had offered the only true resistance, playing an enterprising hand for 25 off 18 balls, including several of his trademark reverse-hits. But he was bowled by Mujeeb as he looked to cut, while Leask completed a quartet of ducks in Scotland’s middle order, failing to pick Rashid’s googly.

Watt’s dismissal gave Mujeeb his fifth wicket and Greaves, who reverse-swept a single boundary, was given out despite being struck outside the line but walked off without reviewing. Rashid cleaned up the tail in efficient fashion.

Afghanistan, whose pre-tournament preparation was disrupted by visa issues, could hardly have asked for a better start; this was their biggest win in T20Is.

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