Afghanistan delivered a dominant performance against Scotland in their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 warm-up match on Monday, registering a comprehensive 184/6 in 20 overs and restricting their opponents to 123 all out in 19.3 overs.

After winning the toss in Bengaluru, Afghanistan elected to bat. Darwish Rasooli starred with 84 runs off just 46 balls, supported by Ibrahim Zadran (36) and Mohammad Nabi (34), helping Afghanistan post a competitive total. The team scored at a healthy rate of 9.20 runs per over, with extras contributing 8 runs.

Scotland struggled in reply, losing wickets at regular intervals. Azmatullah Omarzai was particularly effective, claiming 3 crucial wickets, while Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Gulbadin Naib, and Ziaur Rahman shared the spoils to keep Scotland under pressure. The visitors were bowled out for 123, falling 61 runs short of the target, with only Matthew Cross (21) and Michael Jones (21) showing resistance.

Afghanistan’s win highlights their strong batting depth and disciplined bowling, sending a clear message ahead of the main tournament. 

Afghanistan will face West Indies in their next warm-up game on Wednesday.

Afghanistan’s national cricket team will face Scotland today (Monday) in their first warm-up match ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has confirmed.

The team, which arrived in India two days ago, will be decked out in their new kit. According to ACB,  “it’s New threads; New Colors; but Same pride”.

The match meanwhile will be played at the BCCI Centre of Excellence, Ground 1, in Bengaluru, India, with the first ball scheduled for 2:00 pm local time, according to a statement published on the ACB’s official Facebook page.

As part of their preparations for the global tournament, the Afghan squad is also scheduled to play a second practice match on February 4 at the same venue.

The 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will officially begin on February 7, with Pakistan taking on the Netherlands in the opening match in Colombo.

Afghanistan will start their campaign a day later, facing New Zealand on February 8 in Chennai.

The group stage of the AFC Futsal Asian Cup Indonesia 2026 wrapped up on Sunday, setting the stage for a highly anticipated knockout phase that begins on Tuesday, February 3, with four blockbuster quarter-final clashes lined up.

Following an action-packed group stage, the final eight teams have been confirmed, with the quarter-finals promising intense competition as Asia’s top futsal nations battle for a place in the semi-finals.

Hosts Indonesia, who topped Group A ahead of Iraq after a hard-fought stalemate on Friday, will face Vietnam in the final quarter-final of the day. Indonesia will be aiming to reach the semi-finals for the first time in their history, while Vietnam are chasing a return to the last four for the first time since the 2016 edition.

Iraq will take on Thailand, who finished runners-up in the 2024 tournament. The matchup is expected to be fiercely contested, with both sides showing strong form during the group stage.

Four-time champions Japan secured top spot in Group C after coming from behind to defeat Uzbekistan on Sunday. Their reward is a quarter-final meeting with Afghanistan, who finished runners-up in Group D.

Afghanistan impressed despite a 5-2 defeat to Iran, showing resilience against the defending champions.

Defending champions Iran, chasing a remarkable 14th Asian title, will meet Uzbekistan. Iran enter the knockout stage full of confidence after winning all three of their group matches in an impressive campaign so far.

All quarter-final matches will take place in Jakarta on Tuesday, with fans across the region able to follow the action live.

ATN holds the official broadcast rights for the tournament, bringing comprehensive coverage of the knockout stage to viewers across Afghanistan.

Fans in Afghanistan are encouraged to follow Ariana News and Ariana Television’s social media pages for updated broadcast details.