ICC World T20 2016: 5 qualifier matches to look out for

Barely within a year since it last took place, a cricket World Cup is round the corner. This time to celebrate the game’s shortest format. As millions of fans from across the world gear up, Sportskeeda takes a look at five games from the qualifier stages that can create quite a stir. 

#1 Group B - Afghanistan vs Scotland

The last time these two teams played in a World Cup, it turned out to be a thriller

Venue: Nagpur | Date: 8 March 2016 | Time: 7:30 PM (IST) 

Between January 2015 and now, Afghanistan have won more than eighty-percent of the T20I games that they have played. Such numbers are hard to come by irrespective of the format or opposition. 

But a world event is a completely different contest altogether, and India’s neighbours will know that complacency can cost them dear like it did in the Asia Cup qualifiers. 

Up against Afghanistan will be the team from Scotland – underdogs on paper, but capable of giving a sprightly fight on any given day. The head-to-head between the two sides in T20Is and ODIs might be skewed in favor of Afghanistan, but the contest promises to be way tighter than it appears. 

When these two sides last met in a World Cup, the game turned out to be a nail-biter with Afghanistan barely managing to cross the finish line with a wicket in hand, and three balls to spare. 

A win for either side will set the tone for their respective campaigns, while a loss can have disastrous consequences especially considering that Zimbabwe is breathing down their necks.