Scotland has made it a second consecutive day of upsets at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup by recording a stunning 42-run victory over the West Indies in Hobart on Monday.
Brave Scots have heroes everywhere
Opener George Munsey set the tone by carrying his bat throughout at Bellerive Oval to finish with a stylish 66 from just 53 deliveries as Scotland amassed 160/5 from their 20 overs.
Calum MacLeod (23), Michael Jones (20) and skipper Richie Berrington (16) all played valuable hands, but it was with the ball and in the field that the Scots really shone.
The West Indies couldn’t get a hold of Mark Watt, with the left-arm spinner collecting superb figures of 3/12 from his four overs, while fellow spinner Michael Leask (2/15) was just as impressive.
And the duo were well supported by their team-mates in the field, with Scotland holding on to some excellent outfield catches and showing the rest of the world they will be difficult to beat at the tournament.
Disappointing day for Caribbean cricket
Much was made of the new West Indies’ era with veterans Dwayne Bravo and Chris Gayle gone and the likes of Andre Russell and Sunil Narine on the outer, but Nicholas Pooran’s side were overpowered on the big stage and dismissed for 118 in the penultimate over.
Veteran all-rounder Jason Holder shone with bat and ball (38 and 2/14), while their top-order showed some glimpses of promise with Kyle Mayers (20), Evin Lewis (14) and Brandon King (17) finding the boundary a few times each.
But beyond that there was not much joy, as the West Indies were outplayed in all aspects of the game by a Scotland side that were on a mission.
The road ahead
Just like Sri Lanka a day earlier, the West Indies now face a must-win encounter in their next match when they take on Zimbabwe in Hobart on Wednesday evening.
The West Indies are the only team at the T20 World Cup with two titles to their name, so bowing out in the First Round would not be seen as a good result for the Caribbean side.
Scotland battle it out against fellow European side Ireland in Hobart on Wednesday afternoon and a victory there could see Berrington’s men qualify for the Super 12 stage.
West Indies: Evin Lewis, Kyle Mayers, Brandon King, Shamarh Brooks, Nicholas Pooran (c, wk), Rovman Powell, Jason Holder, Odean Smith, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Obed McCoy
Scotland: George Munsey, Michael Jones, Matthew Cross (wk), Richard Berrington (c), Calum MacLeod, Chris Greaves, Michael Leask, Mark Watt, Josh Davey, Safyaan Sharif, Bradley Wheal. (ICC)