Riding on George Munsey’s half-century and Michael Leask’s all-round show, Scotland produced a dominant performance to post a 73-run victory over Italy in the ICC T20 World Cup at the Eden Gardens on Monday.
Scotland, who had suffered a blip the last time they faced Italy in a T20I, ensured that they picked up the first points of their campaign in a rather relatively easy manner. Munsey’s 54-ball 84, supported by cameos from Brandon McMullen and Leask, followed by Leask’s four-wicket haul helped Scotland spoil Italy’s debut in the tournament. The 73-run win gave Scotland two points after their defeat to West Indies in Kolkata two days ago.
It turned out to be a baptism by fire for Italy in their maiden outing as Munsey and Michael Jones added 126 for the opening wicket. Italy were able to pull the game back a little with two wickets in two overs but a strong finish took Scotland to 207 for 4. It is the highest total by an Associate team at the men’s T20 World Cup, surpassing USA’s 197 for 3 in the previous edition.
After hammering 22 off 5 balls, Leask took figures of 4 for 17, including a wicket off the first ball of the chase. Italy had also suffered an early jolt when their captain Wayne Madsen suffered a shoulder dislocation in the fourth over of the game and could not bat.
Munsey has a reputation for giving Scotland rapid starts in the powerplay and it did not take him long to get going. He hit three fours off his first eight balls, including two in the opening over from Ali Hasan, and then tore into Thomas Draca with a hat-trick of fours in the fourth over. Among Scotland batters who have faced at least 100 balls in the powerplay, no one scores at a higher strike rate than Munsey’s 138.3. He got a reprieve on 41 when Anthony Mosca dropped a sitter at cover before racing to a 30-ball fifty. Munsey’s flier also allowed Micheal Jones time to get going, and their century partnership was the first for Scotland for any wicket in T20 World Cups.
Grant Stewart provided Italy the breakthrough when he had Munsey pulling to long-on in the 14th over. JJ Smuts followed by dismissing Jones in the next over. But McMullen never let the momentum drop. He hit four sixes in his knock, including two in a row off legspinner Crishan Kalugamage. By the time Leask completed his blitz, Scotland had scored 54 off the death overs (17-20) and there was a sense that they had already batted Italy out of the game.
One of the talking points in Scotland’s defeat to West Indies was Leask being sent in at No. 8 behind Mark Watt. Against Italy, he walked out after Scotland had lost two wickets in three deliveries, and with only five balls left in the innings. He pre-empted Draca’s line to put a full and wide one through covers before hitting a short ball through midwicket. When Draca went short again, Leask was into position early to pull over midwicket and raise Scotland’s 200. The last delivery of the innings was a full toss that he hit for six.
Leask dismissed Justin Mosca first ball, a cut shot intercepted by a diving Munsey at backward point. Leask was then brought back when Ben and Harry Manenti’s partnership was flourishing. He had Harry caught at long-off to end the fourth-wicket stand and took two more wickets in his final over. With Italy’s asking rate nudging 13, Stewart and Gian-Piero Meade both holed out to long-off and long-on respectively to give Leask his best figures in T20 cricket.
The only phase when Italy seemed to be on top was when the Manenti brothers were in the middle. JJ Smuts had hit the first six for Italy in T20 World Cups when he sent Brad Wheal into the deep backward square leg stands, but he soon perished. Anthony Mosca, who also hit Wheal for a six in the 23-run third over, didn’t last long.
Brief scores: Scotland 207 for four in 20 overs (George Munsey 84, Michael Jones 37, Brandon McMullen 41, Michael Leask 22) beat Italy 134 in 16.4 overs (JJ Smuts 22, Harry Manenti 37, Ben Manenti 52; Michael Leask 4/17, Mark Watt 2/24).
