England went into the T20 World Cup as the defending champions and some of the favourites to win, but were given a serious shock by qualifiers Scotland before the rain arrived in Barbados.
Though both teams scored one point each in the Bridgetown match, Scotland were dominated at 90/0 in the 10 overs and England were unable to mount a comeback. Here are some talking points, including Jos Buttler’s side’s poor start and how their opponents proved no easy feat.
England fail to perform as expected
It looked like it was going to be a tough afternoon for Scotland when Mark Wood struck out George Manj with his first ball, a devilishly fast, slow-swinging Yorker.
But in the remaining 6.2 overs before the rain interruption, England were less accurate with the ball and in the field, with Wood missing the wicket of Manjhi on 16 but the blame was placed on Wood with a big no-ball.
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Mark Wood got Munsey out for 16 but it was ruled out for a no-ball.
Jofra Archer, playing his first game for England on home soil, was punished by Michael Jones after bowling an off-stomp ball wide, while fellow Bahamian Chris Jordan was smashed by Jones for three successive boundaries, including a six over midwicket that smashed a solar panel.
A few early mistakes meant that Buttler’s side, hoping to make amends for their dismal 50-over fall in the defence of their World Cup title in India last year, were far from good.
Former England captain and current Sky Sports “You could say it was sloppy in places,” commentator Eoin Morgan said. “Scotland played well but England will have liked to have been more dominant.”
“You can’t start slowly in a tournament like this, especially after the 50-over World Cup. We have a lot of the same coaching group and players and they wanted to calm things down but that didn’t happen.”
England have no time to panic, but they have things to work on.
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Jos Buttler felt England could have achieved a target of 109 in 10 overs at Bridgetown.
Scotland have proven they can take on anyone.
Manjhi benefited from an overstep from Wood to push the England fast bowler into Buttler’s gloves in the fifth over, but it was one of several rare errors made by the Scotland opener (41 no off 31 balls) while Manjhi and Jones (45 no off 30 balls) performed well in Barbados.
Jones’ biggest hit to break the panel, off Jordan in the first 6.2 overs, was perhaps surpassed by Muncie’s stunning reverse sweep to smash England leg-spinner Adil Rashid over extra cover and into the stands 3.2 overs after the restart.
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Michael Jones’ six-run hit off Chris Jordan destroys solar panels
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Munsey hit a stunning reverse sweep six off Adil Rashid at Kensington Oval.
Scotland’s bowlers were denied the opportunity to show their true colours when another rain interruption ended the match, but they have some talent in that department, including canny left-arm spinner Mark Watt, Chris Sohl, who bowls at over 90mph, and fellow fast bowlers Brad Curry and Brad Weale.
Anyone who thought Group B would be dominated by England and Australia might want to think again.
Morgan added: “Scotland played fantastic. We’ve emphasised they are the team of the tournament and they clearly have a lot of belief in it. They will be very disappointed at this defeat as they had a chance to beat England.”
Which side prevailed?
Yes, England were sloppy, and yes, they did not highlight their qualities as favourites, but they did not lose, and they might not have lost even if they had started the match on 109 in the 10th over.
It was a tough target but not insurmountable, especially in damp conditions and with the batting prowess they possess, and head coach Matthew Mott has labelled his team as favourites to win.
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Jos Buttler felt England could have achieved a target of 109 in 10 overs at Bridgetown.
“We had a total advantage in that respect. The ball was wet, there were 10 wickets remaining and 10 overs. If we had been there again it would have been tough for Scotland. I think we were quite capable of winning so we were very confident. We were desperate to play,” Mott said.
Scotland starter Jones disagreed with Mott and said: “The rain got the better of us.”
“If you’d asked me before the game ‘Do you want a point?’ I would have said we probably would have won. But to be in that situation playing against England and knowing we had a very good chance of winning is really frustrating. Mott thinks they were confident and I think we were confident too.”
Will Topley play against Australia?
England’s only pre-match dilemma was whether to choose Wood’s lightning pace or the left-arm batsman Reece Topley, but Wood was ultimately selected.
But Morgan believes the tall Topley could feature for Saturday’s game against Australia in Barbados, as the Surrey native’s height and ability to bowl cutter balls on the surface could make him a valuable asset on venues where the ball bounces unevenly.
Will Reece Topley play for England against Australia on Saturday?
If Topley does play, Wood or Jordan will be at considerable risk. Jordan wasn’t at his best against Scotland but has emerged as England’s standout death bowler and has been outstanding in the field, as we saw with his stunning catch against Pakistan last week.
England will be careful not to push Archer too hard after his injury struggles but it would be a surprise if he is omitted from the Australia series and the games against Namibia and Oman are likely to see him rested.
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England’s Phil Salt spoke to Sky Sports about the T20 World Cup, Jos Buttler’s batting and his hopes of a Test call-up.
What’s next?
England take on Australia in Barbados on Saturday (kick off at 6pm BST), while Scotland take on Namibia at the same venue on Thursday (kick off at 6pm). Both games can be watched live on Sky Sports.
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