The lucky entrants, Scotland, despite being ranked higher than Italy, could not qualify for the ICC T20 World Cup from Europe, but were later roped in as Bangladesh’s replacement when they withdrew from the ICC event. The SCO vs ITA match marks the first-ever ICC main-event game for the European underdogs, Italy.
Scotland qualified as the highest-ranked ICC member nation in the ICC T20I Rankings after the ICC had to replace Bangladesh, who dared to boycott the tournament, as the ICC did not meet their demands to make a major shift in the schedule.
The article that follows includes a detailed preview of the SCO vs ITA T20 World Cup match, which includes their probable playing XI, a pitch report, head-to-head record, and live streaming details of the seventh match in the series.
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SCO vs ITA T20 World Cup Match Preview:
Match Date: The Scotland vs Italy match will be played on Monday, February 9th.
Venue: The match will take place at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
Time: The match is scheduled to start at 11:00 AM IST.
SCO vs ITA Squads
Scotland Squad: Richie Berrington (c), Tom Bruce, Chris Greaves, Zainullah Ihsan, Michael Jones, Michael Leask, Finlay McCreath, Matthew Cross, Bradley Currie, Oliver Davidson, Brandon McMullen, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Mark Watt, and Bradley Wheal.
Italy Squad: Wayne Madsen (c), Marcus Campopiano, Gian Piero Meade, Zain Ali, Ali Hasan, Crishan Syed Naqvi, Benjamin Manenti, Jaspreet Singh, JJ Smuts, Jorge Kalugamage, Harry Manenti, Anthony Mosca, Justin Mosca, Grant Stewart, and Thomas Draca.
SCO vs ITA Probable XIs:
Scotland Playing XI: George Munsey, Matthew Cross, Brandon McMullen, Richie Berrington (c), Tom Bruce, Michael Leask, Mark Watt, Chris Greaves, Safyaan Sharif, Bradley Currie and Bradley Wheal.
Italy Playing XI: Justin Mosca, Anthony Mosca, JJ Smuts, Wayne Madsen (c), Harry Manenti, Ben Manenti, Gian-Piero Meade (wk), Grant Stewart, Jaspreet Singh, Ali Hasan and Crishan Kalugamage.
SCO vs ITA T20 World Cup Match Key Battles
JJ Smuts vs Safyaan Sharif
Former South African all-rounder JJ Smuts, who has represented the Proteas in international cricket, moved to Italy to play for them and is one of the most crucial parts of the ICC T20 World Cup squad for Italy.
Safyaan Sharif remains one of the most experienced players in the Scotland squad and will be crucial for them at the beginning of the innings. Striking with the new ball will be crucial for Scotland, and Sharif is their go-to man for the role.
Harry Manenti vs. Michael Leask
Harry Manenti comes down the order and is one of the most crucial lower-order white-ball strikers on the Italian side. He has been consistent and a regular run-scorer for them in the shortest format of the game. Michael Leask, on the other hand, is an experienced all-rounder spinner and is often marked as a very attacking wicket-taking bowler.
Brandon McMullen vs Grant Stewart
Brandon McMullen, the Scottish no. 3 is one of their most explosive batters on the side. On the other hand, he has also been scoring runs on every occasion Scotland won against their opposition. Experienced pacer Bradley Currie can dismiss him, as Currie is often scary with his short-pitch bowling, which is effective against the Scottish middle-order batter.
George Munsey vs Crishan Kalugamage
George Munsey, the opening batter for Scotland, is among the most explosive batters in the top order. Munsey has been one of the highest run-getters for Scotland in recent times, while Kalugamage, the spinner, is Italy’s most aggressive bowler in the side.
SCO vs ITA T20 World Cup Match Key Players:
Italy Key Players: Justin Mosca, JJ Smuts, Wayne Madsen, Harry Manenti, and Crishan Kalugamage
Scotland Key Players: George Munsey, Brandon McMullen, Richie Berrington, Michael Leask and Chris Greaves.
SCO vs ITA T20 World Cup Match – Free Live Streaming and Telecast Details
TV Broadcast in India: The seventh World Cup match, including the Scotland vs Italy clash, will be broadcast live across India on the Star Sports Network.
Online Live Streaming in India: Fans from around the world can watch the match live on the JioHotstar app. An active subscription will be required.
SCO vs ITA T20 World Cup Match Weather and Pitch Report – Eden Gardens
SCO vs ITA: Weather Report in Kolkata
Kolkata often records high temperatures; however, currently it is experiencing its final cold shock, and hence, temperatures even during the afternoon hours will not range over 30 degrees in the city. The humidity percentage shall also be low, and precipitation will not ruin the game.
SCO vs ITA: Pitch Report at the Eden Gardens
Scotland and Italy both would love their spinners to make some use of the drift and grip that the Eden Gardens pitch often offers. However, the pitch is known as one of the most fascinating batting tracks, and hence, it has an average score ranging around 180+ runs.
SCO vs ITA Head-to-Head Records
The two European minnows, Scotland and Italy, will be playing for the first time in a World Cup game. Scotland and Italy have, however, clashed against eachother on 4 occasions in the shortest format of the game.
While Scotland had won on the three occasions before, Italy finally defeated Scotland by a margin of 12 runs in 2025. Italy will kickstart their campaign against the Scottish side.
|
Stats |
Matches |
ITA Won |
SCO Won |
Draw |
Tied |
NR |
|
Overall |
4 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
In T20 World Cups |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Last 5 T20Is |
4 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
SCO vs ITA T20 World Cup Match – Conclusion
The Italy vs Scotland match in the ICC T20 World Cup will mark the first for these two teams in the history of the World Cup. Also, it would mark the opening game for Italy in the ICC T20 World Cup. With the advantage of prior World Cup experience and awareness of the Eden Gardens pitch, Scotland can be picked as the favourites of the game.
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