Rashid-led Afghanistan pose tough test for Scotland

Overview

Afghanistan v Scotland
Bulawayo Athletic Club, Bulawayo,
CWCQ, Match 4
Sunday 4 March; 09:30 local time, 07:30 GMT

Afghanistan, the new Test nation and one of the frontrunners of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2018, will lock horns against Scotland, the defending champions, in their opening Group B match on Sunday 4 March, in Bulawayo.

Last month in Sharjah, Afghanistan sealed a five-match one-day international series 4-1 against Zimbabwe, the tournament's host country. They will be looking to carry the momentum into the qualifier under the captaincy of Rashid Khan.

Rashid will lead the side in the absence of their regular captain Asghar Stanikzai, who was recently diagnosed with appendicitis. The 19-year-old, who is No.2 on the MRF Tyres ICC ODI Rankings for bowlers, will become the youngest captain in the history of international cricket, and is one of the players to watch in this tournament.

Afghanistan’s second warm-up match against the Netherlands, in which they scored 216, was washed out. In the first they defeated West Indies courtesy of Dawlat Zadran's four-wicket haul.

The team’s strength is their bowling. They have talented young spinners in Rashid and 16-year-old Mujeeb Ur Rahman; the experienced Mohammad Nabi, the all-rounder who has been consistent with both bat and ball; and Dawlat, the pacer.

In the batting department, they have Rahmat Shah, who was the highest run-getter in the recent series against Zimbabwe: his 272 runs included one century and two fifties. They have the experience of Mohammad Shahzad and Javed Ahmadi at the top, while Samiullah Shenwari, Nasir Jamal and Nabi add depth to the middle order.

Scotland, meanwhile, come into the tournament in shaky form. In the tri-nation series in the United Arab Emirates in January, which also featured Ireland and the hosts, they won only one match. In the warm-ups in Zimbabwe, they registered a win against Papua New Guinea, but lost to Ireland.

The middle order has been Scotland's concern. They will bank on opening pair Matthew Cross and Kyle Coetzer, the captain, to provide a strong foundation. Their batsmen will have to find a way to handle Afghanistan's spin attack.

Scotland's bowling unit has pace options in Safyaan Sharif, Stuart Whittingham, Brad Wheal and Alasdair Evans, while Mark Watt and Michael Leask are able spinners.

Key players Rashid Khan (Afghanistan): The leg-spinner has taken massive strides to go up all the way to top of the ODI and T20I bowlers' charts. In the series against Zimbabwe he was the highest wicket-taker with 16 wickets in five matches. In the third ODI, he bagged his third five-wicket haul, with figures of 5/24. He comes into the tournament in good form, and has got valuable runs with big hitting down the order as well. To add to it, he will have the responsibility of captaincy.

Kyle Coetzer (Scotland): Having featured in 43 ODIs for Scotland, Coetzer has 1723 runs against his name and averages 43.07. His experience will be key for Scotland. In the first warm-up game, he scored a quick 23-ball 46 with six fours and two sixes. As captain, he has promised to play positive cricket.

Squads

Afghanistan: Rashid Khan (c), Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Javed Ahmadi, Ihsanullah Janat, Najibullah Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Samiullah Shenwari, Nasir Jamal, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Dawlat Zadran, Shapoor Zadran.

Scotland: Kyle Coetzer (c), Richie Berrington, Matthew Cross, Alasdair Evans, Michael Jones, Michael Leask, Calum MacLeod, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Chris Sole, Tom Sole, Craig Wallace (wk), Mark Watt, Brad Wheal, Stuart Whittingham.