Kolkata, Feb 14 (IANS) Stressing that “process doesn’t change”, Jofra Archer underlined England’s clarity of plans after delivering a sharp spell of 2 for 24 against Scotland in the T20 World Cup 2026 match at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday.
England’s bowlers managed to reduce Scotland to 152/9 after facing some early aggression. Jofra Archer returned to his best form with (2-14), hitting tough lengths that unsettled the batters. Archer got rid of George Munsey early in the inning and then came back to get rid of Brandon McMullen with sharp bouncers.
“Process doesn’t change, games don’t all go the same way, so you have to stick to it. Different conditions in Mumbai slid on quite a bit, and we used that to our advantage. It’s a wicket we bat well on, so over to the batters to bring it home. Plans don’t change. If we decide to hit the wicket, we hit the wicket; if it’s pace off, it’s pace off,” said Archer after the first innings.
Adil Rashid had one costly over, but he bounced back by outsmarting the batters during the middle overs with three wickets. Liam Dawson remained dependable as always. Sam Curran and Jamie Overton each took a wicket, keeping Scotland’s momentum in check.
Earlier, Scotland’s innings was anchored by skipper Richie Berrington. He scored a solid 49 and shared an important 71-run partnership with Tom Bruce. This partnership briefly put England under pressure.
The intention of Scotland’s batting line-up was clear from the start of the innings – aggressive and positive, although the batters’ inability to turn early starts into large scores proved costly. Shuffle down the crease and disrupt the length of the ball. Berrington was the mainstay of the innings, running from the opening six. He influenced the momentum of the innings through his partnership with Bruce, who was also looking very good at the crease.
Apart from Jones 33, a little courage was shown by Oliver Davidson, who scored 20 off 15 deliveries later in the innings to help Scotland cross the 150-run mark.
–IANS
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