Afghanistan comprehensively outplayed Scotland in every department during their first Super 12 encounter of the ongoing World Cup tournament on Monday (October 25). Afghanistan triumphed by 130 runs and climbed to the top of Group 2 for the first time. As expected, Afghan spinners performed really well in this match. Particularly, off-spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman was very impressive with the ball. He claimed the first five wickets in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. Take a look at the list of all-time five-wicket hauls in the tournament’s history.

T20 World Cup 2021: Afghanistan vs. Scotland Match Report

Opting to bat first, all the Afghanistan batters played their part with the bat, putting up a mammoth 190/4 in the 20 overs to defend.

Hazratullah Zazai and Mohammad Shahzad provided Afghanistan the perfect start with a 54-run opening partnership in power plays. Shahzad returned to the pavilion after a 22-run knock. However, Zazai (44) stayed at the crease till the tenth over, bringing the total to 82.

Read T20 World Cup 2021: Afghanistan Win Big against Scotland as Mujeeb takes fifer

The best partnership of the Afghanistan innings came in the third wicket. Two veteran middle order batsmen Rahmanullah Gurbaz (46) and Najibullah Zadran (47) put up an 87-run stand and took the total close to 200. Najibullah elated the Sharjah crowds by playing some big strokes in the middle. He made 59 off 34 balls, including three massive sixes.

Scotland's most successful bowler was Safyaan Sharif. He took two wickets for 33 runs in four overs.

Scotland got off to a good start in the run chase. George Munsey and Kyle Coetzer put on a 28-run partnership within the first four overs. Off-spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman interrupted their momentum in the fourth over, taking three wickets (Coetzer, Macleod, and Berrington). Scotland suddenly found themselves at 28/3.

Read Afghanistan beat Scotland by 130 runs in T20 World Cup

At the other end, leg-spinner Rashid Khan began to pick up wickets, and Scotland continued to lose wickets at regular intervals. Afghanistan just needed 10.2 overs to dismiss Scotland for 60 runs. Mujeeb Ur Rahman ended his spell with 5/20, while Rashid Khan took 4 wickets for only 9 runs in his spell. Munsey scored highest 25 runs for Scotland.

Afghanistan made a spectacular start to their ICC T20 World Cup 2021 campaign. If the Afghan team wins at least two more games in group B, they have a fair chance to advance to the semifinals.

List of Five-Wicket Hauls in T20 World Cup 

Mujeeb Ur Rahman became the seventh bowler in T20 World Cup history to grab five wickets in an innings. Only seven bowlers bagged five wickets in the T20 format World Cup before him.

Have a look at the players who have taken five-wicket in an innings.  

Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/

Way Forward 

Afghanistan won the match against Scotland thanks to a collective effort. Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Najibullah Zadran, Rashid Khan, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman were the Afghani team's top performers. Rashid and Mujeeb rattled the Scottish batting order following a sensible batting effort by Afghanistan batters.

Read Mujeeb rattles Scotland with three-wicket over

Mujeeb Ur Rahman's first T20 five-wicket haul on the international stage came in this match. In total, he has taken 30 wickets in 20 Twenty20 Internationals. His precision and wicket-taking abilities will be crucial to Afghanistan in this competition. Undoubtedly, Mujeeb is one of the main bowlers to keep an eye on in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021.