Afghanistan’s vital Intercontinental Cup match with Scotland begins later today in Ayr. This game is Afghanistan’s first ever international in the UK, and is expected to attract supporters from the Afghan community in Scotland
Despite an unbeaten run in the tournament, Afghanistan are 12 points behind the Scots, with Zimbabwe XI squeezed in between them, 6 points ahead of the Afghans. At the end of the tournament the top two teams progress to a final in the UAE. So if Scotland win, they have a real chance to play cup final. If Afghanistan win, then they will get first position at points table and their chance to play the final.
| Teams | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | Draw | Aban | Pts | Quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 69 | 1.147 |
| Zimbabwe XI | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 63 | 1.470 |
| Afghanistan | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 57 | 1.143 |
| Kenya | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 0.993 |
| Netherlands | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 0.812 |
| Ireland | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0.957 |
| Canada | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0.730 |
Waqas Khan also contributed to this article.
I think its very important for cricketing community to support nascent teams like Afghanistan. This not only finds them good sponsors and helps in poverty alleviation but also unearths good talent that can be used in the world of cricket.