Scotland vice-captain Matthew Cross has welcomed the new T20 World Cup format and stated that his team aims to win all four of their group games, starting with their opener against defending champions England in Barbados on Tuesday.
Scotland’s T20 World Cup Journey
In previous T20 World Cups, Scotland had to compete in a preliminary group stage to qualify for the Super 12s, where the more established teams joined the competition. In 2021, they won all three first-round games, including a victory over Bangladesh, but fell short in 2022 despite a historic win against the West Indies. This time, having won all six games in the ICC Europe Region Qualifier last summer, they will face England, Australia, Namibia, and Oman for a spot in the last eight. Matthew Cross views this as “a good opportunity” for Scotland to upset the odds again.
“The opportunity is greater because we get to play two of the top teams, any which group you end up in,” Matthew Cross said. “I think it’s nice to have four games; three games feel really quick and you’re on the flight home potentially before you even know it. So, I do quite like the new format and I think there’s a good opportunity for a team that plays well enough to progress. We’ve got four games, and we’ve got to win four games.”
Scotland has never played England in a T20I but fondly remembers their six-run ODI win in 2018. The Kensington Oval pitch, used in Sunday’s low-scoring Oman vs. Namibia game, could also level the playing field.
When asked how Scotland planned to beat England, Matthew Cross humorously replied, “Score more runs than them.” He emphasized that T20 cricket often comes down to individual performances and urged his team to aim for their best day. “If you have your best day, we’re going to be pretty close to winning a game.”
Embracing the New Format
Despite the rich history of sporting rivalry between England and Scotland, this will be only their sixth encounter and first at a World Cup. Cross joked about hoping for an invitation to play at Lord’s if Scotland performs well. “It’s a really exciting opportunity for us as an Associate nation to get to play England,” he said. “Hopefully on the back of this maybe we’ll get one but, look, it’s an awesome opportunity for our guys and really a chance for us to go out and show what we’re all about.”
Matthew Cross agreed with England captain Jos Buttler on the importance of adapting to the pitch conditions. He mentioned that Scotland hadn’t changed their preparations despite the low scores in the opening Group B fixture, which ended in a Super Over. “It’ll be a day game tomorrow, so the pitch will play differently. It’ll just be about who can adapt the quickest and find the best way to score runs,” Cross said. “I think we’re ready to go.”
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