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Scotland captain Berrington eyes England upset at T20 World Cup
AA Sports Desk | February 11, 2026 1:34 PM CST

Buoyed by a dominant win over Italy, Scotland captain Richie Berrington believes his team has the firepower to upset two-time champion England in its T20 World Cup Group C match in Kolkata on Saturday.

Scotland on Monday bounced back from its opening match loss to West Indies in style, posting 207 for four and then bowling Italy out for 134 to register a 73-run win at the Eden Gardens, a result that has lifted the mood in the camp and kept its qualification hopes alive.

On the other hand, England had a nervy outing against Nepal, where the former champion scraped home by just four runs while defending 184, needing Sam Curran to bowl a tight final over after Nepal threatened an upset.

 "That dream was always there from the start of the tournament. Regardless of that game (England vs Nepal), we know, and we've shown in the past as a team, if we stick to our strengths and perform well, we can put anyone under pressure. Obviously, we know it's going to be tough against England. They're a world-class team," Berrington said in the post-match media interaction.

"But we know we've got world-class players in our line-up too. So, it's going to be on the day. Making sure, as I said, we nail our strengths. And if we get that right, we'll give ourselves a good chance."

The long-standing rivalry between the two nations only adds spice to the contest.

"Yeah, I think that rivalry has always been there between Scotland and England. Obviously, a long history between the two nations. But I think it's there in every sport.

"Next Saturday is going to be exciting. We look forward to every game in this tournament, and that's our next game. So, we're certainly looking forward to it."

With Scotland's rugby team also facing England in Edinburgh the same day in the Six Nations, Berrington is eyeing a sporting double.
"We've also got the Scotland rugby team taking on England the same day. So, it would make quite a nice headline if Scotland had two wins on Saturday," he said.

Berrington was full of praise for George Munsey's impact at the top. Opener Munsey scored 84 off just 54 balls with the help of 13 fours and two sixes.

"George is obviously, he's a world-class player. I think he's shown that for a period of time now. Such an important player for us, particularly at the top of the order. You know, he always goes out there and sets the tempo of the game. As we've seen there today, once he gets going, he's very hard to bowl at. So, I think when you're watching that, it certainly gives the other players in the team a lot of confidence.

"He knows his game really well. His ball striking is up there with some of the best players. I think we've seen that he's able to hit 360 degrees in the field, again, which makes it very difficult for the opposition to tie him down."

Scotland had only entered the tournament two weeks back, following Bangladesh's ouster after it refused to play in India, and had minimal preparation after the winter back home. It looked rusty in the opener but was far sharper against Italy.


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