Scotland stunned two-time champions West Indies by 42 runs in a rain-stopped Group B match of the T20 World Cup here on Monday on a scintillating all-round performance. After West Indies won the toss and elected to bowl, Scotland posted a challenging 160 for five with opener George Munsey’s unbeaten 66 off 53 balls with nine fours. Scotland then registered an easy victory by bowling out West Indies for just 118 runs in 18.3 overs, the only team to have won two titles in T20 World Cup history.
West Indies will now have to beat Zimbabwe at any cost on Wednesday to stay in the race for a place in the Super 12 stage. The Richie Berrington-led side, on the other hand, will have to beat their European rivals Ireland to make it to the Super 12 stage. Berrington said, “We didn’t get to play as many T20 matches as we wanted but we have played a lot of 50-over cricket. It’s about showing that skill in a shorter format.
Appreciating the effort of his spinners, he said, “They did a great job for us at crucial moments. Watt’s off to a good start and he always takes important wickets. Lisk also bowled very well for four consecutive overs.” Disappointed by the defeat, Windies captain Nicholas Pooran said, “We have to work hard and win two matches. We have to take accountability and responsibility. A 20-minute break due to rain also eased the road for Scotland as conditions slowed down at Beverive Oval.
Left-arm spinner Mark Watt opened the bowling and took three wickets for 12 runs in his four overs. Off-spinner Mark Lisk also took two wickets for 15 runs. Amidst slow conditions, the target of 161 runs proved to be a big deal for West Indies as the team did not have enough batting depth and the team missed aggressive batsman Shimron Hetmyer in the middle overs. Opener Kyle Myers got the West Indies off to a good start with his 13-ball 20 with three fours and a six.
Munsey, however, ended his innings by taking a brilliant catch from Myers at deep midwicket in the third over. Second opener Brendon King also returned to the pavilion inside the power play after scoring 17 off 15 balls, which the West Indies team could never recover from. Off-spinner Lisk then added to West Indies’ trouble by dismissing captain Pooran.
The team’s score was 69 runs for five wickets in 10 overs. Jason Holder reduced the margin of defeat by scoring 38 runs in 33 balls with four fours and a six. Earlier, Munsey gave Scotland a quick start as the team scored 54 runs without losing a wicket in the power play. The 20-minute break due to rain broke the team’s momentum and when the game resumed, West Indies reduced their score to 83 for three in 12 overs. Munsey, however, held on to one end and played some big shots in the death overs to take the team to a challenging score.
Scotland added 38 runs in the last four overs. In the second match of Group B, Sikandar Raza’s 82 off 48 balls helped Zimbabwe beat Ireland by 31 runs on their return to the T20 World Cup after 2016. When Zimbabwe lost three wickets for 37 runs, Raza scored a flamboyant half-century to take the team’s score to 174 for seven. The Ireland team never looked in a position to register a win while chasing the target.
Raza, who bowled off-spin, also took one wicket for 22 runs in three overs. Losing the toss and opting to bat, Zimbabwe had a poor start. Captain Craig Irvine returned to the pavilion after scoring just nine runs while his opening partner Regis Chakabwa could not even open the account. Wesley Madhevere (22) was also dismissed inside the power play, leaving Zimbabwe in trouble. Raza then took the lead and completed his maiden T20 World Cup half-century in just 26 balls.
He was bowled on the last ball of Zimbabwe’s innings. He hit five sixes and as many fours in his innings. Raza contributed 82 runs in 48 balls while the rest of the batsmen scored 80 runs in 72 balls. This is Raza’s third consecutive and fifth T20 International fifty. He has scored 598 runs in 16 innings this year at an average of 42.71. Raza said after the match, “We have come with the goal of making a place in the Super 12 and want to fight with some big teams to see where we stand.
Today’s win is definitely wonderful, exciting and joyous.” He said, “But in my view, I will not celebrate this victory after the team talks are over. It has happened, now it is a thing of the past. We have a very tough match against the Caribbean team in 48 hours and my eyes are on that.
