T20 WC: West Indies take on Scotland in their opener
What's the story
West Indies will take on Scotland in the second match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. The match is scheduled to be played at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on February 7. West Indies, two-time T20 World Cup champions (2012 and 2016), missed out on the semi-final berth in the previous edition. However, with a revamped squad under Shai Hope's captaincy, they are ready to reclaim their glory. Here is the preview of this clash.
Team dynamics
Scotland's experience under Richie Berrington
Scotland, who replaced Bangladesh in the tournament, will be making their seventh appearance at the T20 World Cup. Led by Richie Berrington, they have a mix of experience and youth in their squad with players like George Munsey, Michael Leask, Brandon McMullen and Mark Watt. The match promises to be an interesting contest as both teams look to make an impact on this global stage.
Match conditions
Pitch report and conditions
The Eden Gardens pitch is known for being balanced, favoring both batters and bowlers. But as the match progresses, it tends to slow down, making spinners more effective. Batters can still expect good runs with scores often nearing 200. However, pacers need to be disciplined with their line and length as any mistake could be capitalized on by the batsmen. One can watch the match live on the Star Sports Network and stream it on the JioHotstar app/website (3:00pm IST).
Information
Have these two sides met before in T20Is
In their only previous international encounter during the group stages of the T20 World Cup 2022, Scotland stunned West Indies by 42 runs. Hence, the Caribbean unit would be raring to settle the scores.
Line-ups
Here are the probable XIs
West Indies (Probable XI): Shai Hope (c & wk), Johnson Charles, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Romario Shepherd, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Jason Holder, Shamar Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, Akeal Hosein. Scotland (Probable XI): George Munsey, Mark Watt, Brandon McMullen, Richie Berrington (c), Tom Bruce, Matthew Cross (wk), Oliver Davidson, Michael Leask, Chris Greaves, Safyaan Sharif, Zainullah Ihsan
Player focus
Key players and match prediction
Shimron Hetmyer is expected to be a key batter for West Indies, having scored 233 runs in his last six T20Is while striking at 184.92. Jason Holder could be their standout bowler as he scalped 97 T20 wickets last year at 21.42. With 465 runs at 29.06, George Munsey is the Scottish side's top scorer in T20 World Cup history. Mark Watt has taken the most wickets for them at the event - 19 at 22.31.