Day 9 Talking Points: Afghanistan spinners leave Scotland in a tangle

MATCH CENTRE | MATCH REPORT

Afghanistan go gung-ho

Afghanistan batters all chipped in with valuable contributions to propel Afghanistan to a score of 190, but it was the openers that set the ball rolling with their approach.

Hazratullah Zazai and Mohammad Shahzad took the attack to Scotland in the second over, smacking two sixes and a four off Michael Leask, setting the tone for the rest of the innings.

Though Shahzad fell in the final over of the Powerplay, Afghanistan finished with 55 at the end of six. Zazai was back in the hut by the halfway point but Najibullah Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz didn't let the wicket derail the innings and smashed Scotland to all part as they strung a 87-run stand in just 52 balls.

For a side known for its bowling exploits, Afghanistan batters gave a good account for themselves, something that the rest of the Group 2 teams will have to be wary of.

Scotland left shellshocked by Afghanistan spinners

Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan have already established themselves as world-class spinners and their performances against Scotland showed exactly why they are to be feared.

Rahman broke the back of Scotland's chase with three wickets in an over, leaving them reeling at 3/28. He first scalped the Scotland captain Kyle Coetzer, who had just returned to form with a 41 against Oman, before trapping Calum MacLeod and the in-form Richie Berrington in front of the stumps.

He picked up two more to finish with figures of 5/20, the fifth-best in T20 World Cup history.

At the other end, Rashid Khan ran through the lower order and finished with 4/9. Between the two, they picked up nine Scottish wickets for 29 runs in 6.2 overs.

Massive boost to net run rate

The emphatic 130-run win, the third biggest in T20 World Cup history, bolstered Afghanistan's net run rate to +6.500, putting them in a strong position as they sit on top of Group 2.

With only two teams qualifying for the semi-finals from the Super 12, net run rate could very well decide how the standings finally shape up.

Afghanistan have sterner tests ahead of them, but with such a massive boost to their net run rate in the very first game, they perhaps will not have to sweat too much about the last column in the standings.