T20 World Cup 2021, AFG vs SCO: 4 players on the verge of crossing major landmarks

Scotland have successfully passed their first test by clearing through to the Super 12 of the T20 World Cup 2021. Now they take on Afghanistan today in their second test and would be eager to make a mark.

While the Kyle Coetzer-led side won all three of its games in the Qualifiers, the Afghan boys are not to be taken lightly as they were in the Super 12 by default. Afghanistan lost against South Africa in their first warm-up game but bounced back heavily to triumph over the Windies.

Scotland, on the other hand, defeated Bangladesh, Oman and PNG to make it to the Super 12. This should give them added confidence to take on Afghanistan today.

Players like Richie Berrington, Matthew Cross, and Mark Watt from the Scottish side and the likes of Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Shahzad, and Rashid Khan from the Afghan squad are performers to watch out for in this match.

On that note, let's take a look at four records that could take place in tonight's clash.

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#1 Rashid Khan needs 5 scalps to cross 100 T20I wickets

Afghanistan v West Indies - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

The Afghan leggie has arguably been one of the best cricketing talents to come out of the country. Over the years, Rashid has proven himself time and again in the IPL and across various competitive T20 leagues. Khan has an impressive record when it comes to T20 internationals as well, and currently, he has 95 wickets in his 51 appearances at an economy of 6.21.

Tonight, if the master of spin manages to bag a five-for, he will join the 100-wicket club in T20 internationals.

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#2 Hazratullah Zazai is 104 runs short of completing 2000 T20 runs

India v Afghanistan - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

The left-handed opener has been a great asset to the Afghans ever since he started playing for the country. Against the defending champions in the warm-up match, Zazai scored 56(35) to help his team post a whopping 190-run target. Zazai is now simply 104 runs short of crossing the 2000-run mark in T20s and it would be a treat to watch him get to this milestone tonight.

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#3 Matthew Cross is 10 runs shy of crossing the 1000-run mark in T20s

Scotland v England ODI

Though he didn't get going in their match against Bangladesh, Matthew Cross played a couple of brilliant knocks against Oman and PNG in their qualifying games. The 29-year-old is just 10 runs short of gathering 1000 runs in all of T20s and if he clicks tonight against Afghanistan, Cross can get to this major landmark in style.

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#4 George Munsey needs 53 runs to gather 1500 T20 runs

Scotland v England - ODI

Though George Munsey wasn't in top form in the Qualifiers for Scotland, he managed to get them off to a decent start in the group stage. The Scottish opener is now simply a half-century and three runs short of collecting 1500 T20 runs.

Moreover, Munsey is just 26 runs shy of joining the 2,000-run club in international cricket. Tonight's clash against Mohammed Nabi and his men is a great opportunity for the 28-year-old to achieve two big feats in both the international circuit and the shortest format.

Probable Playing XIs for AFG vs SCO

Afghanistan

Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Najibullah Zadran, Asghar Afghan, Mohammad Nabi (c), Gulbadin Naib/Karim Janat, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Hamid Hassan/Fareed Malik

Scotland

George Munsey, Kyle Coetzer (c), Matthew Cross (wk), Richie Berrington, Calum Macleod, Michael Leask, Chris Greaves, Mark Watt, Josh Davey, Safyaan Sharif, Brad Wheal