Kolkata: It almost didn’t happen, at least not going by how the 19th over ended for Scotland. Probing lines by Ali Hasan allowed two runs and a single before two dots ratcheted the pressure and forced captain Richie Berrington into chasing a slower delivery, only to get an outside edge.
Single off the last ball and the doubts were sowed even deeper. First ball of the 20th over, Tom Bruce threw his bat at Thomas Draca and suddenly 185/4 was quite par. However, Michael Leask-who also took 4/17 later- had different plans.
Well set on an 18-ball 41, Brandon McMullen was raring to get strike but Leask lined up Draca for a thumping drive through extra cover even though the delivery was bowled considerably slower. Two runs off the next ball and Leask had warmed up enough to pull Draca over deep square leg for a four before hitting back-to-back sixes over long-on and deep midwicket to help Scotland finish with 207 runs-their highest T20 World Cup total, the highest ever by an associate nation in a World Cup and this tournament’s first 200-plus total, a feat top tier teams like India, England and West Indies were expected to pull off before them.
Fielding a rare instance of two pairs of brothers-openers Justin and Anthony Mosca and Harry and Ben Manenti-Italy folded for 134, handing Scotland a massive 73-run win.
To make things worse for them, they also lost their 42-year-old captain Wayne Madsen just four overs into the game when he suffered a shoulder dislocation that didn’t allow him to bat. He is potentially ruled out of the tournament.
Scotland couldn’t put a foot wrong, the foundation of their total built by a 126-run opening stand between George Munsey and Michael Jones, Munsey ending with a 54-ball 84.
“He always sets the tempo and he’s certainly a hard batsman to bowl at when he gets going,” Berrington said on Munsey later. “We’ve seen him do it many times. So great to see him in form at the moment. And yes, that partnership was so important up top after being put into bat for us to give us that platform to then accelerate towards the back-end of that innings.”
Italy’s chase began on an ominous note when Justin Mosca was caught off the first delivery of their innings. Only when JJ Smuts hit Brad Wheal for three sixes and a four did Italy’s innings gain impetus but Scotland kept chipping away and by the fourth over, Italy were 40/3.
A 73-run stand followed between the Manenti brothers and even though there were quite a few impressive hits from them, Italy were never threatening Scotland’s total. Once they fell in successive overs, Scotland wrapped up the win easily.