Afghanistan applied final touches to their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 preparations with a 61-run win over Scotland in the opening warm-up fixture in Bengaluru on Monday.
A swashbuckling knock of 84 by Darwish Rasooli powered Afghanistan to 184/6, with the Asian side then bowling Scotland out for 123 in 19.3 overs.
Meanwhile, the USA gave a good account of themselves before going down by 38 runs to India A.
On the other hand, European team Italy, who are making their debut in the tournament overcame Canada’s fight by 10 runs to secure a memorable win in the warm-up fixtures.
Afghanistan begins with impressive win
Afghanistan won the toss and elected to bat first at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 1, on a wicket that provided some assistance to the bowlers. With left-arm medium pacer Brad Currie spearheading the attack, Scotland reduced Afghanistan to 20/2 before the first four overs were done.
Rasooli and Ibrahim Zadran (36) calmed down the early nerves with an 82-run stand for the third wicket.
Having put in the work early in the innings, Afghanistan accelerated in the second half, scoring 107 runs in the last 10 overs. Rasooli struck five sixes and seven fours before walking out retired hurt. Experienced all-round Mohammad Nabi also added a quickfire 34 runs off just 16 balls.
The Scottish bowlers suffered from the Afghan onslaught, with three of them going for over 11 runs an over. While Currie kept the batters in check with a disciplined spell of 1/19, Jack Jarvis and Mark Watt claimed two wickets each.
Scotland were unable to get a foothold in the chase as they lost wickets at regular intervals. Only three batters – Michael Jones, Brandon McMullen and Matthew Cross – scored 20 or more runs.
Nabi left a mark with the ball as well, claiming the wickets of Scotland captain Richie Berrington and Finlay McCreath in successive overs. Azmatullah Omarzai was the pick of the bowlers for Afghanistan, returning with figures of 3/14 in three overs.
Having made the semi-finals in the previous T20 World Cup in 2024, Afghanistan are bracing for yet another successful outing at the marquee event.
Afghanistan will face West Indies in their final warm-up fixture on February 4 while Scotland go up against Namibia the same day.
USA fall short in spirited chase against India A
The travelling US team was thrown straight into the deep end as they took on India A in the warm-up fixture at the Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy, Navi Mumbai on Monday.
At a venue known for producing high-scoring thrillers, India A dominated with the bat, scoring 238/3 in 20 overs. Wicketkeeper-bat Narayan Jagadeesan slammed 11 four and five sixes on the way to 104 off 55 balls.
All eyes were on Tilak Varma who has been out for over a month due to injury. The BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) recently cleared him to return to the field and the India batter will play warm-up games against the USA and South Africa (February 4) before heading to the World Cup.
Varma hit the ground running as he scored a 24-ball 38. His 113-run partnership with Jagdeesan gave India A the momentum to canter to a big score. Captain Ayush Badoni helped India step on the gas later in the innings, with and unbeaten 60 off just 26 balls.
USA’s Ali Khan, Jasdeep Singh and Shubham Ranjane picked a wicket but, but Ranjane was also the most economical bowler on the day, conceding 12 runs in his six overs.
Chasing a daunting target, the USA showed glimpses of the defiant spirit that had carried them to the Super 8 stage at the 2024 T20 World Cup. Though India A reduced them to 33/2, opener Andries Gous continued to attack, scoring a breezy 44 at the top of the order. Sanjay Krishnamurthi was even more destructive, as he hit two fours and four sixes for a 18-ball 41.
Despite losing wickets regularly, the USA continued full throttle through cameos from Shubham Ranjane (28), Harmeet Singh (25) and Mohammad Mohsin (21). However, their spirited chase ended at 200 in 19.4 overs.
For India A, Ravi Bishnoi was the most successful bowler with 3/37, while Khaleel Ahmed and Naman Dhir claimed two apiece.
Big Boost for Italy after win against Canada
Canada won the toss and elected to bowl first against Italy in the final warm-up fixture of Day 1. With their T20 World Cup debut against Scotland scheduled for February 9, Italy made the most of the opportunity, putting up a healthy total of 156/4 in their 20 overs to gain much-needed match practice.
Justin Mosca and Anthony Mosca provided Italy with solid starts at the top, scoring 22 runs apiece. The standout performance with the bat came from JJ Smuts, who struck five fours and a six in a composed 49 off 37 balls. Harry Manenti added the finishing touches with a brisk 33 off 24 deliveries.
For Canada, Kaleem Sana and Saad Bin Zafar were the most effective bowlers, each returning figures of 1/26 of their four overs. Dilpreet Bajwa and Jaskarandeep Singh also chipped in with a wicket apiece.
Canada’s openers provided a solid start to the chase, with Yuvraj Samra scoring 33 off 23 balls and Dilpreet Bajwa adding 37 off 34 deliveries. However, the momentum slowed considerably as the rest of the batting line-up failed to build on the platform.
Nicholas Kirton kept Canada in the hunt with a fighting 33 off 27 balls, taking them close to the target, but they eventually fell short by 10 runs as Italy secured a morale-boosting victory.
Italy’s bowlers were spot on, applying consistent pressure and not allowing the run rate to climb. Ali Hasan and Benjamin Manenti were particularly effective, picking up a wicket each while conceding just 22 runs from their four overs. Thomas Draca, JJ Smuts, and Grant Stewart also chipped in with a wicket apiece as Italy sealed the win.
