Pride for Scotland, smiles for Afghanistan

The Overview

What does winning in sports mean?

And to whom does it matter - the players on the field or those watching outside?

Is there really anything at stake beyond the result of a victory and a defeat in a few hours of entertainment and skills displayed?

Kyle Coetzer, the Scotland captain, was certain that his in-form team had to move further from the fortunes of its past, where despite good cricket, they had barely won matches in the ICC tournaments. Quite smoothly, the initial target was achieved as they delivered three victories in succession to move to the second round.

Against bigger rivals though, their challenges level up as well. In an environment where the associate nations are being constantly pushed to validate their eligibility for top ICC competitions, Scotland are up against the task of proving their position at the highest level of the world T20 tournament. They are vocal about their aspirations - to erase the hurt of the past, to become the next full member of ICC, to be watched and picked by top T20 franchises around the world.

In order to fulfil those and to make the followers back home 'proud', they are breaking down their possible challenges - ways to remain fresh in the bio-bubble environment, measures to counter Rashid Khan in their first game of Super 12, and getting their assessment of the conditions spot on.

Afghanistan, on the other hand, don't have as much to prove. They have some of the most sought-after players in the game on their side, and their rapid escalation to the highest level is a stuff of cricket romance. They've surpassed Scotland more than a decade ago, and even reached a point wherein they have qualified directly to the