Good morning from Dubai Sports City. Peter Della Penna here providing the coverage for today's match between USA & Afghanistan. A lot more media and a lot more fans are here covering proceedings for today. Afghanistan had about 400 fans in Abu Dhabi to support them against Scotland and already there are about 200 who have filed in with four to five times that or more expected before the end of the match.

The news is that Afghanistan have won the toss and elected to bat first. 

Afghanistan XI: Mangal (c), Sadiq, Eisakhil, Ashraf, Rais Ahmadzai, Mohammadi (wk), Hassan, Shinwari, Noori, Zadran, Shafaq.

USA XI: Massiah (c), Awan, Darlington, Marshall, Nadkarni, Allen, Baker, Wright (wk), Thyagarajan, Dhaniram, Cush.

Usman Shuja and Saurabh Verma have been dropped for Nadkarni and Awan, who is seeing his first action of the tournament. Glen Hall remains out. 

Moments away from starting, the players are on the pitch. 

 Lennox Cush to open the bowling from the Media Box End, facing Noor Ali, right handed. Mohammed Shahzad Mohammadi off strike. Dot, full and clipped to midwicket. Dot, full and clipped to midwicket. Two, short and wide, punched through the off side. Single, full and clipped to mid on. Nabi now taking guard right handed. Dot, good length hit back to the bowler. Dot, short on the body, punched to midwicket. Afghanistan 3/0 in 1 over.

 Kevin Darlington to open from the Highway End, right arm fast medium facing Ali. Third man and fine leg on the boundary. Dot, short of a length outside off, pulled to mid on. Afghanistan's fans cheering wildly even for dot balls! About 300 of them in now. Dot, full outside off, mishit to cover. About 40 media in attendance, most I've ever seen for a USA game. Dot, full and wide, driven to point. Sky Sports' Charles Colvile is here to film a few things. Single, full and wide, sliced to third man. Dot, good length outside off, swing and a miss by Mohammadi. Dot, good length outside off, goes to cut and misses. Afghanistan 4/0 in 2 overs.

Wow! Some out-of-the-box thinking by the USA. Opening the bowling with spin.

Great to see. I have umpired in a T20 match in New York where Cush bowled the last over where the opposition needed about 12 runs or so, after having scored 30 in the previous 2. Cush came on with a huge smile and ended the over and the match with 2 wickets and having given away only 3 runs.

It will be interesting to see how he does here at the start of the innings.

 Sky Sports reporter Adam Leventhal is also here to do some reporting. Colvile is their main cricket presenter as many of you know. Cush to Ali. Single, full and driven to long on. OUT! Quicker ball on a good length outside off, Mohammadi went to cut and got a healthy edge to Wright, well taken. Cush goes berserk as Wright tosses the ball in the air and Afghanistan are 5/1 in 2.2 overs, Mohammadi gone for a 5-ball duck. Nawraz Mangal the captain is the new man in, right handed. Dot, full and driven back to Cush. Dot, full and defended to Cush. Two, short and wide, cut through the gap between cover and point. Single, good length on the legs, clipped wide of midwicket. Afghanistan 8/1 in 3.

 Darlington to Mangal. FOUR! Fullish length outside off, Mangal drives on the up wide of mid off for a crisp boundary. Dot, short and wide, goes for a cut and misses. Single, full and wide, driven hard to a point sweeper now in place. Dot, good length on off stump, defended to cover. Dot, full on the stumps, slammed through the legs of a leaping Mangal at the non-striker's end to mid on. Dot, full on off stump, goes for a drive and inside edges it past the stumps straight to fine leg in the circle. Afghanistan 13/1 in 4.

 Cush to Mangal. Single, full and lofted to long on. Single, short and wide, guided to third man. Single, good length on the stumps, clipped to square leg. Single, short on the stumps, clubbed flat and hard a foot short of Baker on the square leg rope, well stopped on the short hop. Single, full and driven past Cush. Single, good length on the legs, dropped to midwicket. Afghanistan 19/1 in 5.

 Imran Awan now on to replace Darlington from the Highway End, right arm fast medium to Ali. FOUR! Short on the stumps, pulled viciously through midwicket and it rolls away. Deep midwicket now put in place. FOUR! Short on the body now, hooked fine past a diving fine leg, Allen, in the circle. FOUR! Misdirected yorker on the legs, clipped past Allen again and this is unfolding poorly for USA after a solid start in the field. Dot, low full toss outside off, driven to cover. Afghanistan's crowd numbers swelling and getting more boisterous. DROPPED! Full outside off and driven softly in the air to Massiah at mid off who jogs to his left and puts down a fairly easy chance at waist height reaching across his body with two hands, they take a run. Dot, full and clipped to midwicket. Afghanistan 32/1 in 6. Mangal 11, Ali 21.

 Cush to Ali. Two, full on the legs, clipped to deep square leg. Dot, good length, defended to midwicket. Single, full on the legs, clipped behind square. Dot, full and driven to cover. Single, uses his feet and pulls to deep square leg. Single, full and driven to point. Afghanistan 37/1 in 7. Cush 4-0-18-1.

 Awan to Ali. Dot, bouncer outside off, misses an uppercut. Dot, good length on the stumps, defened to cover. OUT! Run out! Full and driven to long off for an easy single, but Mangal runs hard for the second and makes it back to the non-striker's end easily. Ali had no idea though and the throw comes in over the stumps, Ali took off late for the keeper's end but Awan fielded the relay and fired a throw on one bounce to hit the stumps in front of Wright with Ali well short, run out for 25, Afghanistan 38/2 in 7.3 overs. Karim Khan Sadiq the new man in, right handed. Two, full and driven to long on. Dot, full and defended. Dot, full and defended. Afghanistan 40/2 in 8.

 Sudesh Dhaniram now on to bowl off spin, facing Mangal. Dot, should have been a run out! Full and driven to Massiah at cover, Sadiq bolted from the non-striker's end. Massiah threw to Dhaniram over the stumps with Sadiq miles out, but Dhaniram inexplicably left the ball alone and let it pass over the stumps to midwicket. All that was required was a catch and removal of the bails. Massiah is livid. Single, full and clipped to midwicket. Dot, full and driven to cover. Dot, full and driven to the bowler. Dot, full and defended. Single, full and guided to third man. Afghanistan 42/2 in 9.

 Awan to Sadiq. Two, short on the legs, pulled past fine leg in the circle, fielded by deep square leg. FOUR! Full outside off, driven hard past cover and beats the point sweeper to the rope. Two, slower ball low full toss meant to be a yorker, Sadiq waits on it and it's driven behind point for an easy two. Dot, full and clipped to midwicket. Dot, bouncer as Sadiq comes down the track and takes a wild swing, missing badly. Single, full and nudged to midwicket. Afghanistan 51/2 in 10. They should be 3 or 4 down right now, costly chances missed by USA.

 Dhaniram to Sadiq. Single, full and driven to long off. Single, full and driven to cover. Single, full and swept to deep midwicket. Dot, Mangal backs away to smash a full ball through the covers and misses. FOUR! Full on the stumps, hammered past the bowler and beats long on to the rope. Afghanistan's fans go berserk. Single, full and clipped to deep midwicket. Afghanistan 59/2 in 11.

 Timroy Allen now on to bowl off-spin from the Highway End, facing Mangal. Two, short and wide, cut well behind point. Single, short and wide, cut to the sweeper. Dot, full and wide, misses the open faced shot. Single, full and nudged to cover. FOUR! Full on the stumps, Mangal comes down the track to loft it high to long on, Awan chases after it and leaps but it goes just short of the rope in front of the sightscreen. Initially signalled a six, then changed to four. Afghanistan now has about 500 fans in here. Dot, short and wide, punched to cover. Afghanistan 67/2 in 12.

 Dhaniram to Sadiq. Dot, goes for a slog sweep and misses off the pad. Single, full and driven to long off. Single, full on the legs, clipped to fine leg. Single, full on the legs, driven to long on. Single, full on the legs, driven to long on. DROPPED! Slightly short on the legs, pulled straight to deep midwicket, Baker runs but didn't judge it well, dove to his right at the last minute, got two hands to it and put it down. They take a run. Afghanistan 72/2 in 13.