Darwish Shines for Afghanistan

Afghanistan batter Darwish Rasooli caught the eye against Scotland and Italy sneaked past Canada in the first warm-up matches ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

Afghanistan beat Scotland by 61 runs after Darwish smashed 84 from 46 balls, while USA racked up 200 runs in defeat to India A.

In the closest match of the day, Italy got the better of Canada by 10 runs.

Darwish sets up convincing Afghanistan win

A blistering knock from Darwish Rasooli set up a 61-run win for Afghanistan over Scotland.

Darwish hammered 84 from just 46 deliveries before retiring out to set Afghanistan on their way to 184 for six from their 20 overs.

Mohammad Nabi chipped in with 34 from 16 deliveries late on before impressing with the ball.

A number of Scots made starts, but none got past 21, Matthew Cross and Michael Jones both departing for that total to Ziaur Rahman (2/20).

Nabi finished with figures of two for nine from his two overs, while the pick of the bowlers was Azmatullah Omarzai, who took three for 14.

USA fall short against India A

A fine performance with the bat was not quite enough for the USA as they took on India A in Navi Mumbai.

Wicketkeeper Narayan Jagadeesan’s 104 had helped India A to 238 for three from their 20 overs, with skipper Ayush Badoni smashing 60 off just 26 balls late on.

Shubham Ranjane caught the eye with the ball for the USA, taking one for 12 from his two overs.

Their reply showed plenty of fight, despite losing wickets regularly, as Andries Gous made 44 at the top of the order, and Sanjay Krishnamurthi hit 41 from just 18 deliveries with four sixes.

Ravi Bishnoi showed all his experience on his way to three for 37 before Naman Dhir (2/6) finished things off with two wickets in the final over as the USA were bowled out for exactly 200.

Italy edge past Canada

Italy warmed up for their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup debut with a narrow 10-run victory over Canada.

Italy batted first and started strongly as Justin and Anthony Mosca scored 22 apiece before JJ Smuts joined the party with 49 from 37 deliveries.

Harry Manenti chipped in with a valuable 33 not out to help them to 156 for four from their 20 overs.

Dilpreet Bajwa took one for 24 with the ball before putting on 55 with Yuvraj Samra (33) for the opening wicket.

Bajwa kept going on his way to 37, but tight Italian bowling forced the required rate up, Benjamin Manenti and Ali Hasan both taking one for 22 from their four overs.

That left Canada needing 16 from the final over, and despite the best efforts of Nicholas Kirton (33), they fell short.

Scores in brief

Afghanistan v Scotland – BCCI Centre of Excellence 1, Bengaluru

Afghanistan 184/6 in 20 overs (Darwish Rasooli 84, Ibrahim Zadran 36; Mark Watt 2/32, Brad Wheal 2/57)

Scotland 123 all out in 19.3 overs (Matthew Cross 21, Michael Jones 21; Azmatullah Omarzai 3/14, Mohammad Nabi 2/9)

Result: Afghanistan win by 61 runs

USA v India A – Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Navi Mumbai

India A 238/3 in 20 overs (Narayan Jagadeesan 104, Ayush Badoni 60 not out; Shubham Ranjane 1/12, Ali Khan 1/36, Jasdeep Singh 1/36)

USA 200 all out in 19.4 overs (Andries Gous 44, Sanjay Krishnamurthi 41; Ravi Bishnoi 3/37, Naman Dhir 2/6)

Result: India A win by 38 runs

Canada v Italy – MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

Italy 156/4 in 20 overs (JJ Smuts 49, Harry Manenti 33 not out; Dilpreet Bajwa 1/24, Kaleem Sana 1/26, Saad Bin Zafar 1/26)

Canada 146/6 in 20 overs (Dilpreet Bajwa 37, Yuvraj Samra 33; Grant Stewart 1/18, Benjamin Manenti 1/22, Ali Hasan 1/22)

Result: Italy win by 10 runs