Two-time champions West Indies humbled by Scotland in another T20 World Cup upset
Two-time tournament champions West Indies suffered a shock 42-run defeat to Scotland in the T20 World Cup opener in Hobart.
Key Point:
- West Indies clashed in T20 World Cup opener, suffering shock defeat to skirmish Scotland
- The 2012 and 2016 winners, the Caribbean side, scored 118 points, 42 points short of Scotland’s total of 160.
- The upset came a day after former champions Sri Lanka lost their Group A opener to Namibia.
The Caribbean side, which won the event in 2012 and 2016, was bundled with 118 and chased 161 to beat Scotland a day after former champions. Sri Lanka lost to Namibia in their Group A opener.
Left-arm spinner Mark Watt went 3-12 and off-spinner Michael Leask went 2-15 to secure the win for the Associates team. B match on Monday.
With two wickets in the ball, Jason Holder put up a lone battle for the West Indies with a knock of 38, but it wasn’t enough.
Scotland, who beat another test-playing country in Bangladesh in the final T20 World Cup in 2021, outperformed the West Indies in every division.
“Of course, this is a special win for us,” said captain Richard Bellington.
“A lot of hard work has been done over the last 12 months to get to this point.
“We didn’t have as much T20 cricket as we would have liked, but we played a lot of 50-over cricket. It was about transferring those skills to short form.”
Zimbabwe beats Ireland
In the second match of the day in Hobart, Sikandar Raza’s 48-ball 82 and a three-wicket hole from fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani gave Zimbabwe a 31-run victory over Ireland.
Raza hit five sixes and an equal number of fours on knocks, helping Zimbabwe post a 7-174 after being put at bat.
Ireland managed 9-143 in response, with Raza also picking up wickets in gentle, medium-paced bowling.
With the top two teams in each of the two groups set to advance to the Super 12 stage, a loss to Scotland meant the West Indies faced a must-win match against Zimbabwe on Wednesday.
West Indies captain Nicolas Poulain said: “It’s a tough defeat for us and we are clearly disappointed.
“We have to work hard and win two games.
“I think it’s all about accountability and taking responsibility.
“I have to forget this loss and get back on my feet.
“When I lose a game and my performance as a player is bad, sometimes I want to play the next game as soon as possible.”
Scotland looked successful in the cold, overcast conditions at Bellerive Oval, getting off to a brisk start after coming into the plate, trailing 0-0 in the sixth and final over on a power play when rain forced the players out. I raced to 52.
But the interruption saw the experienced all-rounder holder send back opener Michael Jones to make 20 and third-placed Matthew Cross seemingly halted the momentum in quick succession after the restart.
Manzi batted throughout the inning, but his 53-ball knock lacked fluency as the left-hander could not find boundaries during the middle over.
Reuters
Two-time champions West Indies humbled by Scotland in another T20 World Cup upset
Source link Two-time champions West Indies humbled by Scotland in another T20 World Cup upset
