T20 World Cup 2022: Scotland will need to be more than brave

Scotland will doubtless be out to make another slice of history at the 2022 T20 World Cup.

They reached the Super 12 stage of the tournament for the first time in 2021 with landmark victories over Bangladesh, Papua New Guinea and Oman.

It was a major breakthrough on their fourth appearance on the biggest stage of them all and they will aim to keep the ball rolling in Australia.

2022 T20 World Cup prospects

A lack of solid preparation might well hurt Scotland.

They have only played two Twenty20 Internationals since the last staging of the T20 World Cup.

T20 World Cup 2022: West Indies out for the long haul

Scotland’s samey bowling attack was flayed to all parts of the Grange in Edinburgh by New Zealand as they fell short of towering run-chases of 254 and 225.

However, Shane Burger’s side have excelled with five wins in their last six matches in ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2, building valuable momentum albeit in the 50-over format.

They will aim to make the most of warm-up matches against Netherlands and UAE to avoid being undercooked in the shortest form of the game.

Unlike in Oman, the first-round draw has not been overly kind to Scotland with West Indies, Ireland and Zimbabwe providing formidable opposition.

T20 World Cup history

Scotland had only won one Men’s T20 World Cup match before a trio of triumphs last year.

That came in the group stage of the 2016 tournament as they beat Hong Kong by eight wickets under the Duckworth Lewis Method.

They were part of the first two editions of the showpiece in 2007 and 2009, dealt two defeats on both occasions.

Best batters

Much will rest on the experience and expertise of captain Richie Berrington at number four.

The 35-year-old hasn’t missed a T20 international since February 2010, an unbroken run of 72 consecutive appearances which is an all-time world record. Berrington hit two half-centuries in 2021 and scored 177 runs.

Ebullient opener George Munsey, who strikes at 144 in T20 international cricket, is well-equipped to get the Scots off to fast starts.

Best bowlers

Quicks Brad Wheal and Josh Davey were absent for the home series against the Black Caps and their return to the squad will be most welcome.

Awkward left-arm spinner Mark Watt, a frontline bowler for Derbyshire in English county cricket, will be Berrington’s best option for taking key wickets in the middle overs.

T20 World Cup Fixtures

The Bellerive Oval in Hobart is home for all of Scotland’s Group B games in the First Round, starting against two-time West Indies on October 17.

Next up are Ireland on October 19 followed by Zimbabwe on October 21.

Issued by ICC Media Zone.