ENG vs SCO 6th Match, T20 WC 2024

 T20 WC 2024

8:35 PM IST, 11:05 AM Local Time: The groundsmen now are trying to dry the wet patch with a leaf blower and a sponge. Right then, we have got a start time. The play will start at 8:55 PM IST (11:25 AM Local Time). No overs lost.

8:23 PM IST, 10:53 AM Local Time: There is a small wet patch right in the middle of the pitch. That is concerning the groundsmen and reserve umpire Jayaraman Madanagopal. Buttler and Berrington are having a look at it as well. There will be another inspection at 8:45 PM IST (11:15 AM Local Time). So, we won't be starting at 8:30 PM IST (11 AM Local Time).

8:14 PM IST, 10:44 AM Local Time: The mopping job has been done and the covers are now coming off!

8:08 PM IST, 10:38 AM Local Time: The play will start at 8:30 PM IST (11 AM Local Time). No overs have been lost.

8:03 PM IST, 10:33 AM Local Time: Good news folks. The rain has stopped. The umpires are out there in the middle, having a look at the conditions. The groundsmen are heading out to the middle to do the mopping work. 

Will Jacks (England): "Absolutely buzzing to get started. It was a quick turnaround for us. We played Pakistan at home but we are here for the World Cup and really looking forward to get going.

It was a low-scoring game the other night. A thriller of a game with tie. We have played here in November against the West Indies and looks a bit slow and low. With the pitches on the slower side, it’s always good to bat against the new-ball.

Jofra is special. You always want special players in these types of tournaments and he is the guy for us. If he is in form, we can certainly go all the way."

7:58 PM IST, 10:28 AM Local Time: It is still steadily raining. The pitch and some part of the square is still under the sheets. We are certain of a delayed start.

7:49 PM IST, 10:19 AM Local Time: It has started to rain at the Kensington Oval and the covers are brought on. It appears to be a passing shower, we are still hopeful of a timely start.

Ninaad: Its a long tournament and I feel Topley will feature in the XI pretty soon. Mark Wood played the last match against Pakistan and picked up a couple of wickets. He is someone who can extract bounce and bowl at a rapid pace throughout the spell and has a very good record in the Caribbean across other formats too. So with experience, he gets the first nod to feature in the XI.

Akshay: England decide to go with Wood ahead of Topley. What do you make of this decision?

Ninaad: Thank you Akshay for the warm welcome. Its a quick turnaround for the English squad from the Kennington Oval to the Kensington Oval for the T20 World Cup. The English side did a formidable job to get together for a dominant T20I series against Pakistan just before hitting the big stage. The team performed as a unit to clinch the series and are strong favorites to defend their title. I think Scotland needs a very very special performance today to get 2 points against the champions.

Akshay: It is time to welcome Ninaad into the commentary box. Hello mate. England, the reigning champions, start their title defence today and face their rivals Scotland. We have seen the Scottish side create an upset earlier against the English side. Will we see the same today or are Jos' men too strong?

CREX Fantasy XI:

Wicket-Keepers: Jos Buttler, Philip Salt
Batters: George Munsey, Will Jacks, Richard Berrington, Brandon McMullen
All-Rounders: Moeen Ali, Michael Alexander Leask
Bowlers: Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Watt

Captain: Jos Buttler
Vice-Captain: Mark Watt

Scotland Playing XI : George Munsey, Michael Alexander Jones, Brandon McMullen, Richard Berrington (c), Matthew Henry Cross (wk), Michael Alexander Leask, Chris Greaves, Mark Watt, Chris Sole, Bradley James Currie, Bradley Wheal

England Playing XI : Jos Buttler (c and wk), Philip Salt, Will Jacks, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali (vc), Liam Livingstone, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood

Jos Buttler (England Captain): "We would have bowled first. A great ground and a great country to be hosting the World Cup. Excited to get going.

Absolutely brilliant. We are delighted to have Archer back in the side. He was away from international cricket for a long time and happy to see him back. We have high hopes from him.

We are going with Wood and Jordan today. A really tough call and it was 50/50 between Wood and Topley but we are going with the extra pace of Wood."

Richard Berrington (Scotland Captain): "We are going to bat first. Wicket looks on the drier side. As we have seen on this trip so far, the wickets can change ground to ground and through the day so I think its really important to adapt and assess as quick as you can. Hopefully we can put a good score on the board.

We had an eye on the other game. Just to get an idea of conditions. Obviously an early morning game today so it could be different. We just have to be quick to adapt.

I think a lot of this group have been involved in the tournament so brilliant to get this opportunity, representing country in the World Cup. For the younger guys in the side as well, there will be the first time so looking forward to this.

Focus is on today's game and playing well. We are looking forward to the challenges ahead. Few years ago [victory against England] but a special memory from that day. A lot of people from this group were part of that game so looking to create few more special memories today."