If you are a cricket fan and a regular at premier league betting then you might be one of the lucky few who won a lot of money in the recent Afghanistan Vs Scotland match in the ICC World Cup 2015. No one rooted for the Afghans as most of the people considered them as a club level cricket team trying out its luck on the world stage. But things turned to be different from what most of us imagined.
Afghanistan scored a heroic victory over Scotland at the Ovals in the 17th match of the ICC World Cup 2015. There are two things that deserve our attention and appreciation. The first is that the Afghanistan’s cricket team is a debutant in this world cup. It is for the first time that they have got a chance to showcase their passion for the game of cricket on such a huge and grand international stage. The second is the condition of the country itself. Afghanistan is a country that has witnessed years of war and terrorism. The country, even today, struggles to maintain a decent standard of living for its citizens. If we take a look at the modern history of Afghanistan then we will find that even a decade ago the country was nothing but a pile of demolished buildings and poppy fields. Considering these two factors in mind, this is nothing less than a historic win not only for the afghan cricket team but for every Afghani all over the world.
Coming to the match details, Afghanistan won the toss and invited Scotland to bat first. On paper, Scotland looks like a tough opposition with seasoned cricketers. Scotland is also more experienced than Afghanistan. This is Scotland’s third appearance in the world cup. Scotland came out to bat first with all their confidence but afghan fast blower D. Zardan struck early. Scotland lost its first wicket in the second over when McLeod was caught at point by N. Zardan. It was a huge blow to Scotland as they lost their opening batsman in the second over without scoring any run. The Afghans knew that if they take things seriously from there then there is a good chance of registering a victory. The afghan team kept up the pressure and the Scotland batsmen kept yielding. S. Zardaan was the star bowler for the afghan team as he took 4 wickets and gave only 38 runs in his 10 over spell. Scotland managed to score only 210 runs in 50 overs.
Even though the required run rate wasn’t anything unachievable but keeping the debutant nature of the afghan team in mind, people were betting their money on Scotland.
Afghanistan started their innings well. The opening pair Mangal and Ahmadi provided that much needed initial stability. The first wicket fell at 42 runs. Afghanistan kept losing wickets at regular intervals and things were looking unpredictable for both teams. Shenwari was the star of the match as he scored 96 runs. His innings provided stability in the middle order and propelled the afghan team towards victory. Shenwari lost his wicket in the 47th over. In the 50th over the afghan team needed 1 run to win from 3 balls with only 1 wicket remaining. As the last ball of the match was balled, the Afghans emerged victorious in a nail biting contest.