Scotland beat debutants Italy by 73 runs here at the Eden Gardens on Monday to open their account in Group C of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Batting first, Scotland posted an imposing target of 208 runs, courtesy of George Munsey (84), Brandon McMullen (41) and Michael Leask’s (22 not out) fiery knocks. In reply, Italy’s chase never really got going, and they were bowled out for 134 in 16.4 overs.
Chasing 208, Italy got off to a disastrous start with Justin Mosca dismissed for a golden duck. His brother Anthony Mosca (13) and JJ Smuts (22 off 11) showed brief intent, with the latter striking at 200, but neither could convert their starts as wickets kept tumbling at regular intervals.
The resistance came through the Manenti brothers. Harry Manenti played a spirited knock of 37 off 25 balls, while Ben Manenti top-scored with 52 off 31, hitting five fours and a six to momentarily lift Italy’s hopes. However, the lack of support from the other end ensured the required rate continued to spiral.
Italy collapsed once the Manentis were dismissed, losing their final wickets quickly. Michael Leask was the standout bowler for Scotland, ripping through the middle order with figures of 4/17, while Mark Watt chipped in with two wickets and kept things tight. Contributions from Brad Currie, Brad Wheal, and Oliver Davidson ensured sustained pressure throughout the innings.
With Italy falling short of one batter after their skipper dislocated his shoulder in the first innings, they lost nine wickets inside 17 overs as Scotland completed a comprehensive 73-run victory.
Earlier, Scotland produced a commanding batting display, posting 207/4. It was the first 200-plus total of the tournament and also marked the first time an associate nation has scored over 200 in a T20 World Cup. After being sent in to bat, Scotland built a strong platform through openers Munsey and Michael Jones, who added 126 runs for the first wicket. Munsey led the charge with a superb 84 off 54 balls, striking 13 fours and two sixes, while Jones contributed 37 off 30. Their partnership ensured Scotland stayed in control despite a steady powerplay of 49 runs. Following the openers’ dismissals, Brandon McMullen and skipper Richie Berrington kept the momentum going. Scotland accelerated sharply in the death overs, with Berrington and McMullen exploiting the Italian attack before Leask provided a late flourish, smashing 22 runs in the final over as Scotland finished strongly with 207 runs on board.
Ali Hasan was Italy’s leading bowler, finishing with 1-21, highlighted by a brilliant 19th over in which he conceded just four runs and picked up a wicket.
Brief Scores: Scotland 207/4 (George Munsey 84, Brandon McMullen 41; Ali Hasan 1-21, JJ Smuts 1-38) beat Italy 134 in 16.4 overs (Ben Manenti 52, Harry Manenti 37; Michael Leask 4-17, Mark Watt 2-24) by 73 runs.
Zimbabwe beat Oman by 8 wickets
Opening batter Brian Bennett made a sparkling 48 not out to help Zimbabwe beat Oman by eight wickets in their T20 World Cup match here on Monday.
Bennett hit seven fours during his 36-ball unbeaten knock while wicketkeeper-batter Brendan Taylor (31 retired hurt) and Tadiwanashe Marumani (21) chipped in with important contributions as Zimbabwe chased down a small target of 104 with 39 balls to spare.Zimbabwe reached 106 for 2 in 13.3 overs.
Earlier, pacers Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani and Brad Evans grabbed three wickets each as Zimbabwe bowled Oman out for 103 in 19.5 overs. Sent in to bat in the Group B match, Oman struggled to get going with Vinayak Shukla top-scoring with 28. Sufyan Mehmood and Nadeem Khan chipped in with 25 and 20 respectively.
Sikandar Raza got the remaining wicket for Zimbabwe after Ngarava (3/17), Muzarabani (3/16) and Evans (3/18) got three each.
Brief Scores:
Oman: 103 all out in 19.5 overs (Vinayak Shukla 28; Richard Ngarava 3/17, Blessing Muzarabani 3/16, Brad Evans 3/18).
Zimbabwe: 106 for 2 in 13.3 overs (Brian Bennett 48 not out; Sufyan Mehmood 2/12).