ICC T20 World Cup, qualifiers: Scotland stun West Indies
Scotland stunned West Indies in the Group B qualifying match of the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup at Bellerive Oval, Hobart. The 2016 T20 World Cup champions lost by 42 runs, failing to chase 161. Mark Watt took three wickets, while Brad Wheal and Michael Leask picked two apiece. Earlier, George Munsey slammed an unbeaten 66. Here are the key stats.
How did the match pan out?
Scotland openers Munsey and Michael Jones added 55 runs after WI opted to field. While the former finished as their lone warrior, Calum MacLeod kept Scotland afloat in the middle overs. Chris Greaves' unbeaten 16 (11) guided Scotland to 160/5 in 20 overs. Kyle Mayers, Evin Lewis, and Brandon King couldn't capitalize upon their starts. Although Jason Holder scored 38, WI perished on 118.
Eighth T20I fifty for Munsey
Munsey slammed an unbeaten 66 off 53 balls, a knock laced with 9 fours. The left-handed batter registered his eighth half-century in T20I cricket. He has raced to 1,383 runs in the format from 54 matches. He averages 28.81 in the shortest format. Munsey has a strike rate of 143.61 in T20I cricket. He smashed his first T20I fifty against West Indies.
Another upset by Scotland
A year ago, Scotland upset Bangladesh in their first match of the T20 World Cup. They won the final-over thriller by six runs. Scotland managed to defend 140, restricting Bangladesh to 134/7. Scotland are off to a similar start this time, having stunned the Caribbeans.
Namibia defeated Sri Lanka in the opener
Scotland's win over West Indies came a day after Namibia overcame Sri Lanka, the 2014 T20 World Cup champions. Chasing 164 in Geelong, the Lankan Lions lost wickets at regular intervals and eventually got bowled out for 108 in 19 overs. This was Sri Lanka's first defeat against an associate team in T20 WC. Namibia have bettered their T20I record against SL (1-1).
A look at other notable numbers
As per Kausthab Gudapati, Scotland's 42-run win over West Indies is the joint-second-biggest (by runs) by a team against West Indies in the men's T20 World Cup. Sri Lanka hold the top spot (57 runs in 2009 and 2010). It was Scotland's first-ever win against West Indies in international cricket. Their 160/5 is the highest T20I total by an Associate team against WI.
