Hobart: Scotland vs West Indies turned the tables on two-time champions West Indies by 42 runs in a rain-hit T20 World Cup 2022 Group B match on Monday thanks to an all-round performance. After West Indies won the toss and elected to bowl, Scotland posted a challenging score of 160 for five with opener George Munsey’s unbeaten 66 off 53 balls with nine fours.
Scotland then registered an easy victory over West Indies for just 118 runs in 18.3 overs, the only team to have won two titles in the history of the T20 World Cup. 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 the 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. Lisc also bowled very well for four consecutive overs.
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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.(Agency)