By T. Jayani, JadeTimes News
ICC Men's T20 World Cup, Group B: England vs. Scotland
Venue: Kensington Oval, Bridgetown
Date: Tuesday, 4 June
Time: 15:30 BST
Scotland has consistently exceeded expectations at ICC global events in recent years. In the 2021 T20 World Cup, they began their campaign with a victory over Bangladesh. The following year, they defeated the two time champions, West Indies, in Hobart. Last summer, during the 50 over World Cup qualifier in Zimbabwe, Scotland triumphed over the hosts, West Indies, and Ireland, narrowly missing out on the tournament proper after losing to the Netherlands.
Entering the 2024 T20 World Cup as underdogs once again, Scotland will kick off their campaign against England on Tuesday. They will also face Namibia, Oman, and Australia in Group B. The top two teams will progress to the Super 8s.
"Success for us is getting to the next stage," said spinner Mark Watt. "Taking a few scalps along the way, putting some headlines out." Scotland's most memorable headline came in 2018 when they defeated England by six runs in a thrilling one day international in Edinburgh, thanks to Calum MacLeod's unbeaten 140. Watt, who took 3-55 in that match, is eyeing another upset in Barbados.
"We’ve been there and done that, so that gives us the belief we can do it again," Watt remarked. "All the guys are raring to go. You’ve got to take the same approach to every game, keep doing the basics well and give 110%. You never know what’s going to happen on the day. They have a lot of match winners, but they’ve not been in the Caribbean for much preparation, so hopefully, they take a bit of time to get used to the pitches. We’ve been out here for over a week. That could be a slight advantage for us."
Scotland's frequent victories against full member nations are even more remarkable given their limited opportunities to play against them outside ICC tournaments. Bilateral series occur perhaps once a year, leaving associate nations few chances to test themselves against the world's best teams. Scotland last faced Australia in any format nine years ago and have never played them in a T20.
"Our guys have also got a point to prove as we’ve not had a huge amount of cricket over the last couple of years," seam bowler Brad Wheal noted. "This is an opportunity for guys to put their hands up and show the world we can challenge any international squad. Hopefully more fixtures come off the back of it if we impress some people."
Despite being ranked above only Oman in Group B, largely due to their lack of cricket, Scotland's head coach Doug Watson remains confident. With a squad similar to the one that successfully navigated the qualifiers last summer, Watson is optimistic.
"Every tournament we play, we want to win every game," said the South African coach. "But we just need to dial it back and make sure we are focusing on every moment of every game and not looking too far ahead. We also need to make sure we enjoy every moment."
