Scotland Playing XI vs West Indies- ICC T20 World Cup 2026, Match 2

Scotland begin their T20 World Cup campaign vs West Indies on Feb 7 [Source: ICC/X.com]

Scotland are all set to take part in the T20 World Cup 2026 after they dramatically replaced Bangladesh in the competition. They were highest ranked team to have not qualified for the tournament and were the next in line in case of any team withdrawing.

As fortunes would have it, they slotted right in the Group C alongside England, West Indies, Nepal and the debutants Italy. Now, they start their tournament on the opening day, February 7, against the West Indies at the Eden Gardens at 3 pm (IST).

Scotland vs West Indies Preview

Scotland players have had a quick turnaround in recent weeks as they made their way to India. Led by Richie Berrington, they are an exciting unit with talents like George Munsey, Brandon McMullen and Michael Leask at their disposal, while the experienced Tom Bruce has recently joined them from New Zealand.

While Scotland looks like a promising contender to pull off an upset on the West Indies, the two-time champions have had enough time to prepare for the tournament. They recently played a series against Afghanistan and backed it up with some good batting performances against South Africa, and look set to go.

As things stand, WI hold an edge over the Scots. However, having defeated the same opponents back in the 2022 edition, the UK-based team would still fancy their chances against the Men in Maroon.

Scotland Playing XI vs West Indies- Match 2

Top-order batters: George Munsey, Michael Jones, Brandon McMullen

The left-handed opener, Munsey, has been one of the stalwarts of Scottish cricket. After playing 79 innings, he has scored 2302 runs at a strike rate of 144.23 with two centuries and 13 fifties. Additionally, he is also their leading-scorer in T20 World Cups with 465 runs in 18 innings. He will be among the first names on the team sheet.

Munsey is likely to be partnered by Michael Jones, just like the last edition. While he has only played 11 T20Is so far, Jones has struck at a healthy rate of 136.58 with a fifty to his name. Notably, the Lancashire man has scored 1310 runs in 64 innings in his T20 career with a strike rate close to 133.

The duo will be followed by all-rounder Brandon McMullen, who caught everyone's attention in the 2024 edition of the tournament with 140 runs in 3 innings at a strike rate of 170.73. His blitz included a 60 (34) against Australia, which had the World Champions in a state of shock during a close game.

McMullen has 629 runs in 23 T20Is, striking at 146 to go with 7 wickets as a medium pacer. The 26-year-old also scored 95(39) vs Namibia in a warm-up match ahead of the tournament to try to chase 227 runs.

Middle-order batters: Richie Berrington (c), Tom Bruce, Matt Cross (wk), Michael Leask, Mark Watt

The Scottish side has a long middle-order, which is led by captain Richie Berrington, who is also their leading run-scorer in the format, with 2335 runs in 93 innings. He is a potent all-rounder and can chip in with wickets with his medium pace in the middle overs as well.

The skipper will be followed by Tom Bruce, who changed his allegiance from New Zealand to Scotland in 2025. He is coming off a great Super Smash season with the Central Division, scoring 202 runs at a strike rate of 142.25, including a knock of 95 runs.

Matthew Cross will be this team's wicketkeeper at number 5. He brings in the experience of 18 T20 World Cup games, scoring 227 runs to go with his 1386 T20I runs as their fourth-highest scorer.

The middle order will cap off with the spin-bowling duo of Michael Leask and Mark Watt, who are key to this team's chances with both bat and ball. Leask has 870 T20I runs, striking at 128 alongside 50 wickets at an economy of 7.56 with his off-break.

Mark Watt, who opened in the warm-up game, is a bowler who can bat. He has 89 T20I scalps at an economy of under 7 runs per over and can add handy 20-25 runs late in the innings. As things stand, he is their leading T20I wicket-taker, followed by Safyaan Sharif and Michael Leask.

Bowlers: Brad Wheal, Safyaan Sharif, Brad Currie

The three-man frontline pace-attack will be led by Safyaan Sharif, who has 85 T20I wickets at just over 8 runs per over in 74 innings. He has also picked 16 T20 World Cup wickets in 14 innings. Brad Wheal, who has 17 wickets in 14 innings in the big event, will be another pacer in the mix as he returns to the squad after November 2024.

To cap off the playing XI will be the left-arm pacer Brad Currie, who has been their bowling spearhead since his debut, picking 28 wickets in 17 innings at an economy of just 5.67 runs per over. He also has a five-fer to his credit to seal a spot in this team.

Scotland Playing XI vs West Indies- Match 2, T20 World Cup 2026: George Munsey, Tom Bruce, Brandon McMullen, Richie Berrington (c), Finlay McCreath, Matt Cross (wk), Michael Leask, Mark Watt, Brad Wheal, Safyaan Sharif, Brad Currie.