England clinch must-win game against Scotland by 5 wkts
Adil Rashid’s triple strike set up the contest before Tom Banton’s unbeaten half century guided England to a crucial five-wicket win over Scotland, keeping their Super Eights hopes alive in the T20 World Cup, here on Saturday. In their must-win Group C clash after their shock loss to West Indies, two-time champions England first rode on Rashid (3/36) and Liam Dawson (2/34) to choke Scotland in the back end and bowl them out for 152 in 19.4 overs after opting to field.
Scotland were well placed at 113 for 3 in 12.3 overs and looked set to cross the 180-run mark, but a dramatic collapse of five wickets for 14 runs turned the match. Rashid changed ends and grabbed three wickets, including that of skipper Richie Berrington (49), to derail the Scotland innings. Dawson added two quick wickets as Scotland lost momentum completely. In their modest chase, England were rocked early and slipped to 13 for 2 in two overs before Banton produced a match-winning 63 not out from 41 balls (4x4, 3x6).
Will Jacks smashed one six and a boundary off Brad Wheal to wrap up their chase in 18.2 overs. England, who scraped through against Nepal in their opener but were outplayed by the West Indies, thus returned to winning ways and jumped to second spot in the group behind the West Indies with four points. They now face Italy here on Monday to confirm their Super Eights berth. England needed rebuilding and Banton found support in Jacob Bethell (32 from 28 balls; 2x4, 1x6). The pair added 66 runs off 45 balls to steady the innings.
Phil Salt (2) chipped Brandon McMullen to cover, while Jos Buttler (3) tried to hit Brad Currie down the ground but failed to get the distance. McMullen ran back from mid-off and completed an excellent catch over his shoulder. Bethell struck a flat six over wide long-on and followed it up with boundaries through third man and point. Banton, who had survived on 7 when Matthew Cross failed to hold a tough chance standing up to the stumps, grew in confidence.
Davidson eventually broke the stand when Bethell’s slog-sweep went straight to backward point. Scotland tightened the run-rate and struck again when Harry Brook’s attempted scoop was caught by Brad Wheal at short fine leg, leaving England at 86 for 4 in 10.4 overs. But Banton remained composed. He brought up a vital 33-ball half-century — a welcome return to form after three single digit scores — and shared a 46-run stand with Sam Curran (28 off 20 balls) to lay the foundation.
Earlier, Scotland were cruising at 113 for 3 and what promised to be a big total turned into a below-par score as England’s spin twins turned the game on its head in the middle overs. After conceding 26 runs in his first two overs, Rashid changed ends to the High Court End and transformed the contest. Against the run of play, he dismissed Berrington for a 32-ball 49 (5x4, 2x6), one short of a half-century.
England struck early through Jofra Archer (2/24), who removed inform opener George Munsey (4) and Brandon McMullen (0) in three balls inside the powerplay. Scotland were 42/3 at the end of powerplay. The pitch offered extra pace and bounce, which Archer exploited well with short balls in his opening spell. The pacer also reached a milestone, becoming the third English quick after Stuart Broad and Mark Wood to take 50 wickets in all three formats. England’s Adil Rashid celebrates after dismissing Scotland’s Matthew Cross during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 cricket match between England and Scotland at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday.
