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The defending champions England will kick off their T20 World Cup campaign against neighbors Scotland on June 4. The contest which looks like a walk in the park for the defending champions provides a good opportunity for Scotland to show the world that the team is not an easy pushover.
In this article, we will look at the three players from both teams who can be the shining light in Barbados.
T20 World Cup – England vs Scotland
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England
The Jos Buttler-led side has gone through a lot of ups and downs since last year’s ODI World Cup held in India. Having failed to make it to the top four and qualifying for next year’s champions trophy by the barest of margins. If we talk about the team’s performance in the T20 format it is coming in the multination tournament on the back of a series win against Pakistan that would surely boost their confidence.
Players to Watch Out For
Phil Salt
The English opening batter has been in decent form in the last few months, with his match-winning knocks for KKR in the IPL and for England in international cricket. The right-hander is known for his attacking batting which was on show when he scored a century against West Indies last year after being overlooked by teams in the IPL 2024 player auction. England’s team management would also hope for Salt to build on the rich vein of form that the right-hander is in during the T20 World Cup.
Jofra Archer
The English fast bowler has battled multiple injuries in the last few years. Archer who made a name for himself as someone who can trouble the batts with his fast and accurate bowling across formats hasn’t been at his usual best since the 2019 Ashes series where he bowled with extreme pace. Since then Archer has had a stop-start career as far as international cricket is concerned. Having said that the fast bowler looked in good rhythm in the recently concluded T20 series against Pakistan and would look to replicate the performance in the T20 World Cup and form a good pair with Mark Wood.
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Jos Buttler
England’s white-ball captain has had a tough time off late in international cricket as a captain with the team not performing as per expectations which has in return affected Buttler’s batting as well with him not being able to contribute significantly with the bat. But as they say, there is always light at the end of the tunnel which can be true in Buttler’s case as the right-hander played a match-winning knock for his team in the first T20I against Pakistan and was also proactive as the captain with his field placements and bowling changes. The wicketkeeper would hope to continue the form that he is in during the T20 World Cup.
Scotland
The Richie Barington-led side has been in decent form in the T20 format and has been a constant feature in the T20 World Cup which is evident by the fact that the team is playing its fourth T20 World Cup on the trot and has also its bases covered with a good mix of young and experienced players who have the ability to turn the match on its head.
Players to Watch Out For
Richie Berrington
The Scottish captain has been the mainstay of Scotland’s batting lineup for a few years now and is someone who controls the team’s batting with his sensible yet aggressive batting approach. Apart from his batting Berrington has been impressive as the captain of the team having won six consecutive games in the European qualifies to book a place in the T20 World Cup 2024. Scotland would expect Barrington to replicate the same in the multination tournament.
Mark Watt
The Scottish spinner has been impressive in the last few editions of the T20 World Cup with his ability to bowl on accurate lines and lengths. Apart from this Watt is also known for bowling with the new ball in the first six overs and in the death overs as well which makes him a reliable asset for the team in the T20 World Cup.
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Safyaan Sharief
The experienced fast bowler has been a vital part of Scotland for the last few years and was instrumental in Scotland’s historic win over England in ODI a few years back. He has been a constant part of a team that is heavily reliant on its slow bowlers which makes his role even more important in the T20 World Cup.
