T20 World Cup: Scotland shock West Indies with 42-run win as George Munsey and Mark Watt shine | Cricket News


Mark Watt, Brad Wheal and Michael Leask on form with the ball as Scotland stun two-time winners West Indies at T20 World Cup; Tuesday sees Holland take on Namibia at 5am followed by United Arab Emirates against Sri Lanka at 9am, both matches live on Sky Sports Cricket

Last Updated: 17/10/22 10:08am




Scotland shocked Group B favourites in their first match of the T20 World Cup

Scotland shocked Group B favourites West Indies with a 42-run victory in their opening match of the T20 World Cup.

Mark Watt took 3-12, and Brad Wheal and Michael Leask picked up two wickets each as Scotland bowled the two-time winners out for 118 after posting 160-5.

West Indies were reduced to 84-8 and needed 60 runs from the final four overs, and while Jason Holder tried to attack, hitting back-to-back fours, he was last man out – caught by Chris Greaves off Watt.

The platform for the bowlers was laid by a strong batting performance, George Munsey’s 66no from 53 balls setting Scotland in good stead.

Scotland seemed to thrive in the cold and overcast conditions at the Bellerive Oval and got off to a brisk start after they were put in to bat, racing to 52-0 in the sixth and final over of powerplay when rain forced the players off.

Michael Leask was one of many bowlers who found their rhythm as the West Indies struggled to get off the mark

The interruption, however, seemed to halt their momentum with experienced all-rounder Holder sending back opener Michael Jones, who made 20, and number three Matthew Cross in quick succession after the restart.

However, Munsey then anchored the innings with his 53-ball knock, helping to secure a momentous victory for his side.

Left in a similar circumstance to Sri Lanka on Sunday, who lost to Namibia, the West Indies now must-win in their next match when they take on Zimbabwe in Hobart on Wednesday.

Berrington: It is a “special win” for us

Scotland captain Richard Berrington was delighted with his side’s performance, especially considering the lack of T20 cricket they have had of late.

“Obviously, it’s a special win for us. There’s a lot of hard work that’s gone in over the last 12 months to get us to this point and we certainly took a lot of belief from the performances last year,” said Berrington.

“I’m just extremely proud of the boys, going out there and showing off our skills.

“We haven’t had as much T20 cricket as we might have liked but we have had a lot of 50-over cricket so it was really important for us to transfer those skills as quickly as we could.

“I’m just extremely delighted that we managed to do that.

“I thought that George Munsey and Michael Jones were excellent up front, giving us that platform and the West Indies pulled it to get it back in those middle overs.

“We had a few good cameos towards the end which we knew gave us a competitive score. I thought our bowlers were exceptional in that second innings.”

Player of the match, Munsey, added: “I’m always looking to improve. I thought the guys out there did really well.

“We fought like anything out there in the field, the guys took their catches.

“Watty [Mark Watt] was outstanding there with his figures and the way that he bowled. He was just class.

“It was a really good performance.

“The guys did really well, coming out in the middle, from ball one going and took the pressure off me a little bit especially after that delay with the rain. They came out and did me a lot of good there.”

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Tuesday sees Holland take on Namibia at 5am followed by United Arab Emirates against Sri Lanka at 9am in the T20 World Cup, with both matches live on Sky Sports Cricket.





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