FANTASY
Follow UsAfghanistan will kick off their T20 World Cup campaign on Monday (October 25) in Sharjah. They will be facing Scotland, the Associate nation which has stormed its way into the Super 12s with a clean sweep in the first round. Scotland are an in-form side but facing Afghanistan is tricky business even for some Test-playing nations.
Ground Details and Team Combination
Well, it's Sharjah. If you have seen the second half of IPL 2021 and the Ireland-Namibia game, you would know that it is a graveyard for the batsmen, despite the short boundaries. Since September 1, 2021, It has had the least run-rate (6.9) amongst the three prominent venues in the UAE. On average, only 128 runs were scored in the first innings in this time period which has seen 12 matches. In comparison, Dubai and Abu Dhabi had seen 150+ in the first innings.
The spinners are hard to put away while the pacers get most wickets by virtue of bowling at the death. However, Afghanistan have an aggressive line of spinners who churn out LBWs and bowled dismissals with their tight line. Afghanistan have a hundred percent record against Scotland in six T20Is with the spinners at the forefront.
Hence, we will suggest top-order batsmen of the two sides alongside Afghan spinners to form the crux of your XI for this contest.
Suggested Team
While you could go for the above team, you also have the option of choosing your own team from Cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre. You can use this tool to build your team with the help of algorithms. Based on your preferences, the platform will guide you to create the ideal fantasy XI.
Captain
It is an obvious choice but there are reasons why Rashid Khan should be your captain for this match. A leg-spinner who can bowl ripping googlies is always a safe captaincy option against non-Asian Associate teams since they are not used to play quality spin. The Netherlands exemplified that when they were bowled out for 44, handing three wickets to Wanindu Hasaranga. Scotland pose a perfect opportunity for Rashid to get into wicket-taking form at the start of the tournament.
Our Criclytics player projection predicts Rashid could pick up 1-2 wickets in this match
X-Factors
Afghanistan are not yet known for their batsmen but Rahmanullah Gurbaz is an audacious wicketkeeping batsman who can change that. Only 19 years old, Gurbaz has lit up various franchise competitions. Afghanistan would like to reap benefits of his attacking strokeplay and get ahead of the run-rate in the Powerplay.
Our Criclytics player projection predicts Gurbaz could score 18-28 runs in this match
Chris Greaves made the headlines with a player-of-the-match performance in Scotland’s victory over Bangladesh. He can strike some lusty blows lower down the order. More importantly, he bowls the skidding leg-spin that can catch the batsmen off guard. He is the closest thing to Rashid Khan that Scotland possess.
Our Criclytics player projection predicts Greaves could pick 0-1 wickets in this match
Here are the top-10 picks as per Criclytics projected points-
Player Match-Ups
Yes, Rashid boasts a great chance to trouble Kyle Coetzer’s man but even the Scottish side have a nemesis for him. In the only ODI Calum Macleod and Rashid locked horns, the former struck 49 runs off 31 balls against the leg-spinner without losing his wicket. In T20s, the sample size is as small as two balls.
Macleod is one the best players of spin bowling in Scotland, courtesy of his brilliant sweep shot technique. In his ODI career, he averages 56.2 against the tweakers at a strike-rate of 88.6. In T20s, he averages 43.6 while striking at 123.9. Rashid v Macleod will be the battle to watch out for.
Probable XIs
Scotland: George Munsey, Kyle Coetzer (c), Matthew Cross (wk), Richie Berrington, Calum MacLeod, Michael Leask, Chris Greaves, Mark Watt, Josh Davey, Safyaan Sharif, Bradley Wheal
Afghanistan: Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (c), Asghar Afghan, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman
All stats prior to Match 15 of the 2021 T20 World Cup