Having previously made it through to the World Cup in 1999 and 2007, Ryan Watson’s team must now win its final game against the United Arab Emirates on Friday and then hope other results go its way if one of those magical four places can be theirs.
 

And although it remains a long shot, Afghanistan can still achieve what many considered to be the impossible and get through to the World Cup 2011 for the first time in the country’s history, according to an ICC release on Wednesday.
 

Considering less than one year ago it was playing in Division 5 of the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League along with the likes of Jersey, Japan and Vanuatu, it is a truly remarkable turn around, not only to be competing at this level but now to have beaten arguably the two strongest Associate teams of the past five years, Scotland and Ireland, the release added.
 

Having put in to bat first, Afghanistan’s openers made Watson live to regret that decision as they put on 57 for the first wicket and 48 for the second in fairly quick time.
 

Top-order batsman Karim Sadiq was the hero of the day for the Afghans as he hit 92 off 101 balls, a knock that included 10 fours and two sixes as he punished any wayward bowling the Scots sent his way.
 

Karim’s contribution got his team to 279, a total that was always going to be a tough ask, particularly for a Scotland top order that had not been firing during this tournament.
 

Losing Majid Haq with just one run on the board did not help confidence levels among the Scottish ranks and when Watson fell for just 14 many would have thought the game was up. But Ryan Coetzer and Gavin Hamilton then put on 133 runs for the third wicket to swing the game back in favour of the champions.
 

Not content with his batting performance, Sadiq, snared two quick wickets with his right-arm off-spinners then removing both Coetzer and Hamilton as the Scots went into a free fall, losing their last eight wickets for just 50 runs, eventually being dismissed for 237, some 42 runs adrift.
 

“I am very happy at the moment that my team won against a team like Scotland, who are one of the big teams in the tournament and who have played in two World Cups,” said Karim afterwards.
 

“It was very hard batting today and I was very disappointed to miss out on my century. But it was good to get two wickets as well. I am hoping that I can score a century on Friday as I want to give Afghanistan a big chance of getting to the World Cup,” he said.
 

Afghanistan coach Kabir Khan added: “We are acting like a giant killer in this tournament. I am very proud of my boys and it shows that it wasn’t a fluke that we got through the World Cup qualifying rounds.
 

"I have always had faith in my batting order and I have always maintained they are very good batters. They are very quick learners and in the first round they saw how the top players play an innings under pressure and that is what they are doing in the Super Eight stage.
 

"We are making some really good scores against the top teams and if we keep playing the way we are playing then we can beat Namibia," said Kabir.