Scotland haven’t appeared in the T20 World Cup since 2009 but having won the ICC associate qualifier to get into this tournament they head to India looking to make a significant impact. They are in the easier of the two qualifying groups so have every chance of making a big impression.
Form
From seemingly going nowhere Scotland have now qualified for two main tournaments in a row having also been at the 2015 World Cup. They put in some good performances in that tournament and were rarely overpowered which bodes well.
The confidence they can take from winning the Associate qualifier, albeit via a washout in the final, will stand them in good stead and by and large Scottish cricket continues to be on the up. They shouldn’t be written off at any stage.
Key men
Matt Machan has the potential to dominate the bowling in this tournament. He is an aggressive left hand batsman with plenty of top level experience under his belt from his Sussex days and having played with some of the greats there he should have learnt plenty. If he can control his aggression he could be a star of the early round.
Preston Mommsen leads the side with confidence and ensures that their attacking brand of cricket is on show all the time and that is how he plays. He gets on with it when he has the bat in his hand and he sets attacking fields. Scotland’s revival is very much based on his captaincy approach not to mention his batting ability.
Fixtures
Tues Mar 8 – Group B: Afghanistan vs Scotland (Nagpur)
Thurs Mar 10 – Group B: Scotland vs Zimbabwe (Nagpur)
Sat Mar 12 – Group B: Hong Kong vs Scotland (Nagpur)
Stats
Overall T20I record: P37 W14 L20 NR3
Last 10 results (most recent last): WWWLLWLWLW
Record vs group opponents:
Vs Afghanistan: P5 W0 L5
Vs Hong Kong: P3 W2 L1
Vs Zimbabwe: Never met
Record batting first: P16 W6 L9 NR1
Record batting second: P21 W8 L11 NR2
Odds
Tournament odds: 2000/1 (general)
Group B odds: 12/1 (Paddy Power)
Team bets
I’m going to take two small bets for Scotland in this tournament, one in their top batsman market and one in their top bowler one where I think there could be some decent value.
With the bat I like the move to push Matthew Cross up to number three. He can play with a bit of freedom there and let his big shots go with the knowledge that there is a solid middle order to come if things don’t go as planned. On these batting wickets where you can hit through the line that should suit Cross very well as he’s shown a few times since the move up.
Of course there is the likes of Kyle Coetzer, Matt Machan, Calum MacLeod and Preston Mommsen against us but Cross looks overpriced to me at 11/2 especially if he can find the middle of the bat from the beginning of the tournament.
I don’t really see a standout bowler in this Scotland attack at the minute. Alasdair Evans and Josh Davey both bowled really well in the World Cup down under last year but these aren’t going to be seam friendly conditions which has to be a concern. Majid Haq would have been a great bet here but he’s still on the sidelines after criticising the structure around the time of that World Cup.
Instead I’m prepared to take a chance on Mark Watt to go well in this tournament. The left arm spinner took five wickets against the Netherlands recently which bodes well and should ensure he begins the tournament in the team. With two matches a day in Nagpur you’d expect spinners to come into the game more as the first week goes on so he looks a big price at 10/1.
Back M.Cross Top Scotland Tournament Batsman for a 1/10 stake at 6.50 with Boylesports
Back him here:
WON – Back M.Watt Top Scotland Yournament Bowler for a 1/10 stake at 11.00 with Ladbrokes
Back him here:
