Bridgetown braces for historic
England-Scotland tie.
England and Scotland go a long way back. From fighting the Anglo-Scottish wars in the 15th century to coming together as the United Kingdom in the 18th century, to voting against decoupling in a referendum in the 21st century, the relationship between the two countries has a rich history.
And yet, the newest format of international cricket, a sport steeped in history and deeply ingrained in the fabric of this region, has yet to witness a match between these two nations.
Thankfully, that's going to change on Tuesday (June 4). England and Scotland are finally going to play each other in a T20 International, in a World Cup no less, and add a new chapter in their long history.
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In doing so, England will return to Bridgetown, the venue of their first-ever ICC trophy win way back in 2010. A lot has changed since then; England, under Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler, have added two more World Cup trophies to their cabinet and been the bellwether of the modern batting blueprint. But right now, they come fresh off the lows of one of their worst World Cup campaigns, when they found themselves buried under the defending champions tag in the heat and havoc of India. Buttler called the early elimination a "low point" and he will be keen to make sure that this World Cup defence doesn't look anything like it.
Playing as the defending champions sure will be challenging, more so in the T20 format, but Buttler has already labelled the tag as a "nice title" to have and rubbished the expectations that come with it. Despite looking well-rounded, England haven't enjoyed the best of the results in this format since the last T20 World Cup, losing 8 of their 14 matches in this cycle.
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Scotland, on the other hand, might not have the trophies to show for but they aren't new to this ecosystem. This is their sixth T20 World Cup, their fourth on the trot, and they no longer can afford to be the also-rans. They made it to this World Cup after acing the regional European Qualifiers, where they topped the table with six out of six wins, and the challenge for them will be to replicate that success against stronger teams and when far more people will be watching.
Where: 6th Match, Group B at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados
What to expect: There's increasing help for spinners in the second innings here and teams prefer to bat first in day games, which is evident in a win percentage of 66 for them. Namibia and Oman played in a low-scorer Super Over finish in the tournament opener at this venue and David Wiese admitted to the pitch playing a "little bit differently" than he expected. But that said, the weather in the leadup to the tournament has been wet, which could have adversely affected the pitch preparations. There are rains predicted for the match day too.
Team Watch:
ENGLAND:Jos Buttler's side come into the tournament with a 2-0 win over Pakistan, a series which saw Jofra Archer make his comeback after over a year on the sidelines.
Tactics & Matchups: The top three for England look in form but they will want better numbers from their middle-order, which has been one of their pain points in this World Cup cycle. Of the 20 participating teams in the ongoing tournament, their middle-order average of 22.28 in the aforementioned period stands at 13th.
Probable XI: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (c/wk), Will Jacks, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley
SCOTLAND:Richie Berrington's side couldn't make the most of their warm-up, with the first one abandoned due to rain and the second one ending in a heavy 55-run loss to Afghanistan.
Tactics & Matchups: Scotland would look to attack England's middle order with spin. Will Jacks, Moeen Ali, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone and Sam Curran have all struggled against the slower bowlers since 2022.
Probable XI: George Munsey, Ollie Hairs, Charlie Tear, Richie Berrington (c), Brandon McMullen, Matthew Cross (wk), Chris Greaves, Mark Watt, Christopher Sole, Safyaan Sharif, Bradley Currie
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What they said
"No added pressure really [of defending champions]. Obviously, it's a nice title to have coming into this tournament, but it's a new tournament and we want to play well, want to play our brand of cricket, and go as deep as we can in the tournament" - Jos Buttler, England captain
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"I think it's just great for the game - we've got more teams at the start of the tournament, 20 teams. It's a great opportunity for everyone. So, yeah, definitely one we're all looking forward to. And I'm sure we're going to see some great games throughout the tournament" - Richie Berrington, Scotland captain
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