Monday’s T20 World Cup match between West Indies and Scotland in Hobart resulted in a stunning loss for the defending champions, marking the second huge upset in the tournament’s first two days.
The Caribbean, who won the tournament in 2012 and 2016, were bowled out for 118 while chasing 161 to defeat the Scots, a day after former winners Sri Lanka dropped their Group A opener to Namibia.
Left-arm spinner Mark Watt, with statistics of 3-12, and off-spinner Michael Leask, with figures of 2-15, secured victory for the associate side, who had posted 160-5 in the Group B encounter on the strength of opener George Munsey’s unbeaten 66.
West Indies’ Jason Holder, who took two wickets with the ball, batted by himself for 38 runs, but it all in vain.
Jones sets the tone!
We can reveal that this 4 from Michael Jones is one of the moments that could be featured in your @0xFanCraze Crictos of the Game packs from West Indies vs Scotland!
Grab your pack from https://t.co/EaGDgPOSBl to own iconic moments from every game. pic.twitter.com/LfiGZWqcrE
— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) October 17, 2022
Scotland, who defeated another test-playing team, Bangladesh, in the previous T20 World Cup in 2021, outperformed West Indies in every category.
Their captain, Richard Berrington, remarked, “Obviously, this is a tremendous victory for us.” In order to reach this stage over the past year, a great deal of effort has been exerted.
“We have not played as much T20 cricket as we would have liked, but we have played a significant amount of 50-over cricket. It involved converting these skills to the condensed form.”
Zimbabwe faces Ireland in the second match of the day at the same site, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the Super 12 stage.
A brilliant 66* off 53 👏
For his knock, George Munsey is the @aramco Player of the Match 🎉#T20WorldCup | #WIvSCO pic.twitter.com/wFteWuUtJA
— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) October 17, 2022
Wednesday’s encounter against Zimbabwe is now an absolute must-win for the West Indies.
“Our loss was difficult, and we are certainly unhappy. We must exert effort and win two games. I believe that accountability and responsibility are paramount “stated captain Nicholas Pooran.
“We must put this setback in the past and recover. When you lose games and perform poorly as a player, you may desire the next game to begin immediately.”
Scotland appeared to flourish in the chilly and cloudy conditions at the Bellerive Oval and got off to a quick start after being put in to bat, reaching 52-0 in the sixth and final over of the powerplay before rain forced the players off the field.
After the restart, though, seasoned all-rounder Holder sent back opener Michael Jones, who had hit 20, and number three Matthew Cross in rapid succession.
Munsey batted for the duration of the innings, but his 53-ball knock lacked fluidity as the left-handed batsman failed to reach the boundary during the middle overs.