Scotland have made a promising start to their T20 World Cup campaign with a convincing 73-run win over debutants Italy at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Batsmen Michael Leask and George Munsey were the stars of the show, providing Scotland with a solid foundation for their victory.
Leask's impressive display saw him take 4-17 off the Italian innings, while Munsey chipped in with an unbeaten 84 to set the tone for his team. The opening wicket partnership between Munsey and Michael Jones added 126 runs to help Scotland reach a competitive total of 207-4 from their 20 overs.
However, it was Leask's impressive performance in the field that turned the tide of the game in Scotland's favor. He dismissed Italian opener Justin Mosca with just one ball of his first over, and Munsey followed up by taking an excellent diving catch to his right to dismiss Harry Manenti.
Italy struggled to cope with Scotland's spin attack, losing wickets at regular intervals as Leask, Mark Watt, and Gian-Piero Davidson took combined figures of 7-80. Despite a 73-run partnership between brothers Ben and Harry Manenti, Italy were unable to overcome the deficit and were bowled out for 134 in 16.4 overs.
Scotland's victory marked their first win at a men's T20 World Cup, and they are now next up against England on Saturday. The win will give Scotland a much-needed confidence boost ahead of what promises to be a challenging group stage campaign.
Leask's impressive display saw him take 4-17 off the Italian innings, while Munsey chipped in with an unbeaten 84 to set the tone for his team. The opening wicket partnership between Munsey and Michael Jones added 126 runs to help Scotland reach a competitive total of 207-4 from their 20 overs.
However, it was Leask's impressive performance in the field that turned the tide of the game in Scotland's favor. He dismissed Italian opener Justin Mosca with just one ball of his first over, and Munsey followed up by taking an excellent diving catch to his right to dismiss Harry Manenti.
Italy struggled to cope with Scotland's spin attack, losing wickets at regular intervals as Leask, Mark Watt, and Gian-Piero Davidson took combined figures of 7-80. Despite a 73-run partnership between brothers Ben and Harry Manenti, Italy were unable to overcome the deficit and were bowled out for 134 in 16.4 overs.
Scotland's victory marked their first win at a men's T20 World Cup, and they are now next up against England on Saturday. The win will give Scotland a much-needed confidence boost ahead of what promises to be a challenging group stage campaign.
They're like setting the tone for their whole tournament with that 73-run win over Italy 
And Leask's performance was insane, 4-17 off the Italian innings? 
That guy's a genius on the field and he's not even trying to hide it 
The way Munsey batted too was so clutch, unbeaten 84 is like woah! 
How can Scotland not be confident now after that win against Italy? 
️
! and that diving catch by munsey was pure gold 
the way they worked together as a team was just CLASSIC! AND THOSE SPIN ATTACKERS, MARK WATT AND GIAN-PIERO DAVIDSON ARE LIKE UNSTOPPABLE!!! 
! I love how their batsmen stepped up and set the tone with those 126 runs 
. And let's not forget that fielding performance 
- taking out two wickets in his first over? 
! 
. They've got England next up, and that's gonna be a tough one 
. But hey, this win gives them some much-needed confidence 
!
. Munsey's 84 runs were 
. Leask was like a superhero on the field too 
. and the way they took down Italy's spin attack was pure class 
And that diving catch from Munsey was like something out of a Hollywood movie... maybe they should trade in their passports for superhero capes 
that Scotland's team is actually super confident right now! 
.
️! michael leask is like a superhero out there, taking 4-17 off italy's innings and then taking some sick catches 
. scotland's spin attack is looking strong, hope they can keep up the momentum against england on saturday 
. this win is gonna give them a major confidence boost heading into the group stage 
And don't even get me started on the commentary, it's always too loud and obnoxious. Can't a person just watch the match in peace?
They're supposed to be some sort of debut team, so I'm a bit surprised they didn't put up more of a fight. Guess we'll just have to wait and see how they do in the rest of the tournament... 
. I'm loving how confident this win makes Scotland look ahead of their next match against England 
u think scotland can pull off an upset? 
️ lets see if they can keep the momentum going