Afghanistan edge Scotland in thriller

The match in a tweet: All just a little bit of history repeating! Afghanistan win another thriller over Scotland to open World T20 campaign with a win

The hero: Afghanistan's Mohammad Shahzad never does anything by halves and he gave his side the perfect start to the tournament with a big-swinging innings of 61 at the top of the order. The world's No.12 ranked T20 batsman, it was Shahzad's ninth career half-century (his highest score is an unbeaten 118 from earlier this year) and featured five fours and three sixes. He even incorporated his own unique version of the 'helicopter shot', which he later said was inspired by Indian captain MS Dhoni, and threw in plenty of other unorthodox stroke play as well.

The support cast: Having conceded nine runs from his first over, legspinner Rashid Khan bounced back beautifully to help turn the match in Afghanistan's favour. He bowled with good pace and all the Scotland batsmen had trouble picking up his deceptive googly. He could have easily had more than the two wickets he took; he finished with 2-28 from four overs, an excellent recovery at a crucial point of the match.

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The turning point: In the space of just eight deliveries, Scotland went from hot favourites to back on level pegging after losing three wickets for just 11 runs. Having made a fast start, Kyle Coetzer was the first to go for 40 from 27 balls when he pulled a long hop from Samiullah Shenwari straight to the man on the boundary before George Munsey was trapped lbw by Rashid Khan just two balls later. A calamitous mix-up in the next over cost Calum MacLeod his wicket and the match had taken a significant twist.

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The consolation effort: Scotland needed a bright start if they were to be any chance of chasing down their target and Coetzer and Munsey obliged with a 84-run opening stand in less than nine overs. The duo hit 13 boundaries and a six between them as they posted the highest ever opening partnership in T20 internationals on Indian soil. The ease with which they kept up with and even exceeded the required run rate seemingly had them cruising towards victory, until the collapse.

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The angle: Bowlers often go wide on the crease to create a different element to their bowling, but Scotland's Mark Watt took that to a whole new level in Nagpur. The left-armer repeatedly bowled with his front foot off the cut surface as he looked to create a different angle from around the wicket. The method is perfectly legal; it would have been a no-ball if his back foot crept over the return crease, but he didn't transgress during his four over spell.

The drought: The narrow loss extends Scotland's winless run at major ICC tournaments to 19 matches and it is their second tense defeat to Afghanistan in the space of 12 months. A year ago, Afghanistan snatched victory from the Scots during the 50-over World Cup and that first win still eludes Preston Mommsen's side. 

What it all means: It's a great start to the tournament for Afghanistan, who keep pace with Zimbabwe ahead of what could be a decisive clash between the two sides on Saturday. The Afghans will first take on Hong Kong on Thursday, while Scotland face Zimbabwe next and already need other results to go their way if they are to advance to the Super 10s.