Afghanistan clinched a 55-run victory over Scotland in an exhilarating ICC Men's T20 World Cup warm-up match held at Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain (Trinidad) on Saturday.
According to details, Afghanistan, after electing to bat first, posted a formidable total of 178/8 in their allotted 20 overs.
Afghanistan's innings was spearheaded by Gulbadin Naib, who played a blistering knock of 69 runs off just 30 balls, smashing 5 fours and 6 sixes with an impressive strike rate of 230.00. Contributions from Azmatullah Omarzai (48 off 36) and Rashid Khan (15 off 7) further bolstered the Afghan total.
Scotland's bowling attack, led by Chris Sole who took 3 wickets for 35 runs, struggled to contain the Afghan batters. Bradley Currie and Mark Watt also chipped in with two and one wicket, respectively.
Chasing a target of 179, Scotland's batting lineup faltered against a disciplined Afghan bowling performance.
George Munsey made brisk 28 off 18 balls for Scotland. However, consistent wickets kept falling, with Mujeeb Ur Rahman (2/23) and Karim Janat (2/13) leading the charge.
Rashid Khan and Nangeyalia Kharote each contributed with economical spells, taking one wicket each.
Despite a late effort from Mark Watt, who scored 34 off 25 balls, Scotland could only manage 123/9 in their 20 overs, falling 55 runs short of the target. Afghanistan's comprehensive performance in both batting and bowling set the tone for a promising campaign ahead in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
Afghanistan will launch their World Cup campaign against Uganda on Tuesday (June 4).
