After the 7th match of the T20 World Cup, there has been a big upheaval in the points table of Group C. In this match played in Kolkata, Scotland defeated Italy by 73 runs and with this registered its strong presence in the tournament. Scotland have made a great comeback after losing the first match against West Indies. With this victory over Italy, Scotland not only added two important points to its account, but also left England behind and secured the second position in the points table.

Current status of Group C

If we look at the points table, West Indies remains at the first position with one win in one match and its net run rate is +1.750. Whereas Scotland has scored 2 points with one win in two matches and its net run rate has become +0.950. England has also won one match, but has slipped below Scotland due to weak net run rate. Now if England slips in their next match, then the path to the next round may become easier for Scotland. Interestingly, Scotland’s next match is directly against England. Considering the way Nepal gave a tough fight to England, the chances of Scotland’s victory cannot be ruled out. If Scotland wins this match, then it will have another chance against Nepal to ensure qualification.

Scotland’s explosive batting

Batting first against Italy, Scotland scored 207 runs in 20 overs.

George Manse scored a brilliant 84 runs in 54 balls.

Michael Jones added 37 runs

Brandon McMullen scored unbeaten 41 runs in just 18 balls.

Whereas Michael Leask scored 22 runs in just 5 balls in the last overs and took the score beyond 200.

Italy’s innings shattered

Chasing the target of 207 runs, the Italian team disintegrated under pressure and was all out for 134 runs in 16.4 overs.

Ben Manetti scored 52 runs on 31 balls

Harry Manetti contributed 37 runs
But these efforts could not save the team from defeat.

Leask shines in bowling

The hero of Scotland’s victory was Michael Leask, who did wonders with the ball and took 4 wickets for 17 runs. He was named Player of the Match for his excellent all-round performance. This victory of Scotland has made Group C very exciting and now all eyes will be on their next match against England.