At the Sharjah Cricket Ground, Afghanistan will face Scotland in Match 17 of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021. Afghanistan and Scotland will have momentum on their side and will look to build on it on Monday to get off to a strong start in the global T20 tournament.
Afghanistan has developed dramatically in recent years, particularly in the shortest format of the game. The team has a well-balanced lineup at its disposal, and they’ll be trying to make a global statement with a strong showing. Afghanistan’s spin assault is robust, thanks to the presence of Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Rashid Khan, and the three players are sure to cause havoc on the UAE’s slow and sluggish tracks.
On the other side, Scotland put in a strong showing at the T20 World Cup qualification round. The team won their first match against Bangladesh, then went on to win their next two matches against PNG and Oman to finish first in Group B. Scotland can build on its recent success to put forth a strong showing in the Super 12 round. But how well they will play the great spin trio of Afghanistan is the burning question.
The 17th match of the 2021 T20 World Cup is scheduled to be played between Afghanistan and Scotland on Tuesday at Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Unlike previous seasons, the pitch has been erratic this year. The deck is very slow, and the ball doesn’t reach the bat.
In IPL 2021, the Sharjah Cricket Stadium has seen several low-scoring matches, with teams scoring less than 140 or 130 on the scoreboard. Batters have also found the Sharjah Cricket Stadium wicket challenging to bat on. In the T20s, the average first innings total is 149, and the average second innings total is 131.
Sharjah tends to be hot and humid. The conditions here indicate that it shouldn’t rain. A good game of cricket is expected. The average expected temperature would be around 42 degrees Celsius.
Keep a watch on the Scottish players listed below
Keep a watch on the Afghan players listed below
Predicted XI for Scotland
Squad: Kyle Coetzer (c), Matthew Cross (wk), Dylan Budge, Josh Davey, Ally Evans, Richard Berrington, Chris Greaves, Brad Wheal, Michael Leask, Calum Macleod, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Craig Wallace, Hamza Tahir, and Mark Watt.
Reserves: Michael Jones, Chris Sole
Predicted XI for Afghanistan
Squad: Mohammad Nabi (capt), Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Usman Ghani, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Asghar Afghan, Najibullah Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan, Hamid Hassan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fareed Ahmad, and Naveen Ul Haq.
Reserve players: Samiullah Shinwari, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Dawlat Zadran, Fazalhaq Farooqi.
In comparison to Group 1, both teams have been assigned a less competitive group. A win against West Indies in their penultimate warm-up game would have bolstered Afghanistan’s confidence.
On the other hand, Scotland has worked exceedingly hard to get to this point. As a result, they will both be optimistic about their chances of winning the game. But Afghanistan will be the favorite in this one.
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