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T20 WC 2021 Match 17: AFG vs SCO Dream11 Prediction & Fan2Play Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report

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Last Updated on 4 weeks by Charbel Coorey

T20 WC 2021 Match 17: AFG vs SCO Dream11 Prediction & Fan2Play Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | AFG vs SCO Dream11 Prediction Today | Afghanistan vs Scotland Key Players | Sharjah Pitch Report

Battle-hardened Scotland, on the back off a successful round one, do battle with Afghanistan in what is shaping up to be an interesting Group 2 after Pakistan’s superb victory over India.

And the stakes are high. Both these nations know what it feels like to play under pressure, both embarking on journeys as Associate nations. Recently, USA skipper Saurabh Netravalkar spoke to The CricBlog Podcast about how Associate cricket leaves no room for error, so both these nations will look to use that experience to their advantage in the quest to start the Super 12s in the best possible way.

Afghanistan start as favourites courtesy of their bowling attack in these conditions. They will be aiming to make inroads into a Scotland side that has had the benefit of competitive matches so far in this tournament, and have shown they can perform under pressure as they came from behind against Bangladesh and then beat Oman in a must-win match.

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

Afghanistan:

  • Mohammad Shahzad, who is coming off a 35-ball 54 in the warm up vs West Indies, has the most runs in Afghanistan-Scotland matches. The keeper-batsman has smashed 309 runs in six matches at an average of 51.50 and strike rate of 148.56.
  • Shahzad also has a great record at Sharjah. In 26 matches on this ground, Shahzad has struck 919 runs at an average of 41.77 and strike rate of 155.50.
  • Hazratullah Zazai is also damaging at Sharjah. The left-hander has smashed 322 runs in 10 matches at an average of 32.20 and incredible strike rate of 193.38.
  • Rahmanullah Gurbaz has struck three half-centuries in 13 T20Is. He averages 34.30 with a fine strike rate of 143.87.
  • Mohammad Nabi is coming off an unbelievable spell in the warm up match vs West Indies. The skipper took figures of 3/2 in four overs. Nabi has taken nine wickets in six meetings vs Scotland (avg. 16.78, econ. 6.86), along with 87 runs at an average of 21.75 and strike rate of 155.36.
  • Nabi has plenty of experience at Sharjah. He has struck 503 runs in 30 matches on this ground at an average of 26.47 and strike rate of 161.22. This is along with 24 wickets.
  • Rashid Khan took 2/28 in his only T20I vs Scotland to date (back in 2016). The star leg-spinner will certainly be key, and comes into the match off the back of an excellent year so far: 57 wickets in 41 matches at an economy rate of 6.51. He also has 21 wickets to his name in 18 matches at Sharjah (econ. 6.21).
  • Mujeeb ur Rahman took 3/24 in the recent warm up match vs South Africa. He has 14 wickets in 11 matches at Sharjah, and will be key against George Munsey in particular.

Scotland:

  • Can George Munsey overcome the early threat of Mujeeb? He has a score of 41 vs Afghanistan in two T20Is against them.
  • Also, can Munsey build on his starts in this tournament? He has got himself set thrice, only to fall after making a start on each occasion (29, 15, 20).
  • Matthew Cross comes into this match in some good touch. The keeper-batsman has struck scores of 57, 11, 45 and 26* in his last four matches.
  • Can skipper Kyle Coetzer overcome a poor record vs Afghanistan? He has 87 runs in six matches at an average of 14.50 and strike rate of 87.00. Richie Berrington has very similar numbers: 85 runs in six matches at an average of 17.00 and strike rate of 111.84.
  • Josh Davey was brilliant in phase one of the T20 World Cup, taking eight wickets in three matches at an average of 8.37 and strike rate of 5.82.
  • Mark Watt conceded just 5.41 runs per over in the first round, taking three wickets in the process. He will be key in keeping the attacking batsmen of Afghanistan quiet.
  • Safyaan Sharif was back in the wickets vs Oman (2/25). Incredibly, he didn’t take a single wicket in four T20Is vs Afghanistan between 2013 and 2016, with an economy rate of 10.08. Can he change that today?

Stats and Facts

  • Afghanistan have beaten Scotland in all six meetings.
  • This will be the first meeting between the teams in T20Is since 2016.
  • Scotland won all three matches in the first stage of the T20 World Cup.

Possible Playing 11

Afghanistan: 1. Hazratullah Zazai, 2. Mohammad Shahzad (wk), 3. Rahmanullah Gurbaz, 4. Najibullah Zadran, 5. Asghar Afghan, 6. Mohammad Nabi (c), 7. Karim Janat, 8. Gulbadin Naib, 9. Rashid Khan, 10. Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 11. Naveen ul Haq

Scotland: 1. George Munsey, 2. Kyle Coetzer (c), 3. Matthew Cross (wk), 4. Richie Berrington, 5. Calum MacLeod, 6. Michael Leask, 7. Chris Greaves, 8. Mark Watt, 9. Josh Davey, 10. Safyaan Sharif, 11. Brad Wheal

Sharjah Pitch Report and Weather

The conditions were sluggish at Sharjah in the IPL and first round of the T20 World Cup. However, the batting conditions were a lot better in the Bangladesh-Sri Lanka game yesterday, as the Lions chased down 172 with ease in the end.

The chasing team has reigned supreme on this ground in recent times, with 10 wins out of the last 13 games.

Dream11 Prediction

Note: Teams below are not based on the final playing XIs. We may not be able to update these teams in time after the final playing XIs have been announced.

Option 1:

T20 WC 2021 Match 17: AFG vs SCO Dream11 Prediction & Fan2Play Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | AFG vs SCO Dream11 Prediction Today | Afghanistan vs Scotland Key Players | Sharjah Pitch Report
T20 WC 2021 Match 17: AFG vs SCO Dream11 Prediction

Option 2:

T20 WC 2021 Match 17: AFG vs SCO Dream11 Prediction & Fan2Play Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | AFG vs SCO Dream11 Prediction Today | Afghanistan vs Scotland Key Players | Sharjah Pitch Report
T20 WC 2021 Match 17: AFG vs SCO Dream11 Prediction

Fan2Play Prediction

Base team:

  • Wicket-keepers: Mohammad Shahzad
  • Batsmen: Hazratullah Zazai, Calum MacLeod
  • All-rounders: Mohammad Nabi, Richie Berrington
  • Bowlers: Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Josh Davey

Also read: Fan2Play vs Dream11 – What’s the difference?

Match Prediction

Scotland are in some good form, but Afghanistan look very good in these conditions. Afghanistan to win.

Charbel Coorey
Charbel Cooreyhttps://cricblog.net
Charbel is the owner & founder of cricblog.net, based in Sydney, Australia. He started the website to fulfill his love for the game of cricket. Charbel has been featured on other publications including OP India, Times of India, and The Roar, among others. He is also a keen fantasy sports player. Charbel has also had the privilege of interviewing cricketers on the CricBlog TV YouTube channel, including James Neesham, Rassie van der Dussen, Andrew Tye, Shreyas Gopal, Jaydev Unadkat and Saurabh Netravalkar: https://www.youtube.com/@cricblogtv For any story tips or questions, you can contact Charbel at charbelcoorey@cricblog.net.

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