Scots can surprise at T20 World Cup - Scotland team preview
Squad
Richie Berrington (c), George Munsey, Michael Leask, Bradley Wheal, Chris Sole, Chris Greaves, Safyaan Sharif, Josh Davey, Matthew Cross, Calum MacLeod, Hamza Tahir, Mark Watt, Brandon McMullen, Michael Jones, Craig Wallace.
Best finish at tournament
Super 12 stage (2021)
The Scots were undefeated during the first round at the 2021 event and progressed to the Super 12 stage with plenty of confidence on the back of three straight wins. Despite some good patches at times, they couldn't replicate that form against stronger opponents as they failed to register a victory during the Super 12 stage.
Results in the last 10 games
(most recent first): L L L L L L L W W W
Fixtures
v West Indies (October 17), Bellerive Oval, Hobart
v Ireland (October 19), Bellerive Oval, Hobart
v Zimbabwe (October 21) Bellerive Oval, Hobart
Key match
v West Indies (October 17) - Scotland surprised many by winning all three of their first round matches at last year's event and their best chance of replicating that might come if they can win their tournament opener against the West Indies. The Caribbean side will be expected to triumph in this clash and the Scots will try and use their underdog title to their advantage and strike quickly. If Scotland can cause an upset against the West Indies then they may be able to build on that momentum during their remaining first round clashes.
Key player
Richie Berrington - With former skipper Kyle Coetzer retired from the format, Berrington takes the captaincy reins and will be expected to provide plenty of leadership for the European side. Berrington showed his class with two half centuries and a total of 177 runs at last year's event and he will be looking to score heavily once again. Just how Berrington rotates his bowling line-up will be interesting to see and the 35-year-old may even be required to roll his arm over himself and deliver some of his more than handy medium pacers too.
What they say
"The squad has a blend of youth and experience alongside locally based players and County representatives," Scotland coach Shane Burger said last month.
"The balance of the team and chemistry is crucial to contributing to performances at the World Cup.
"We believe we have a good mix of the above and have selected players that are in form and can perform under pressure."
Summary
With Scotland having played just two T20Is since last year's T20 World Cup, it's tough to get a read on exactly how they will fare in this edition. While Berrington's side are the lowest ranked of the four teams in their group, there is still enough talent in their line-up to cause an upset.
The batting line-up will be reliant on the likes of George Munsey, Calum MacLeod and Berrington to provide the bulk of the runs, while spin duo Mark Watt and Hamza Tahir will be needed to keep opposition batters from scoring too heavily.
Keeping opposition teams from posting large totals could be a worry for the Scots, given they gave up scores in excess of 200 to New Zealand in both T20Is they have played so far this year.
But Scotland have surprised in big tournaments in the past and should not be underestimated.
