Scotland’s captain Richie Berrington takes the catch to dismiss Italy’s Ali Hasan during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Italy and Scotland in Kolkata on February 9, 2026.
| Photo Credit: AP
Buoyed by a dominant win over Italy, Scotland captain Richie Berrington believes his team has the firepower to upset two-time champions England, who made a scratchy start to the tournament, in their T20 World Cup Group C match in Kolkata on Saturday (February 14, 2026).
Scotland on Monday (February 9, 2026) bounced back from their opening match loss to the West Indies in style, posting 207 for 4 and then bowling Italy out for 134 for a 73-run win at the Eden Gardens, a result that has lifted the mood in the camp and kept their qualification hopes alive.
On the other hand, England had a nervy outing against Nepal, where the former champions scraped home by just four runs while defending 184, needing Sam Curran to bowl a tight final over after Nepal threatened an upset.
“That dream was always there from the start of the tournament. Regardless of that game (England vs Nepal), we know, and we’ve shown in the past as a team, if we stick to our strengths and perform well, we can put anyone under pressure. Obviously we know it’s going to be tough against England. They’re a world-class team,” Berrington said in the post-match media interaction in Kolkata.
“But we know we’ve got world-class players in our line-up too. So it’s going to be on the day. Making sure, as I said, we nail our strengths. And if we get that right, we’ll give ourselves a good chance.”
The long-standing rivalry between the two nations only adds spice to the contest.
“Yeah, I think that rivalry has always been there between Scotland and England. Obviously, there is a long history there between the two nations. But I think it’s there in every sport.
“Next Saturday is going to be exciting. We look forward to every game in this tournament, and that’s our next game. So we’re certainly looking forward to it.”
With Scotland’s rugby team also facing England in Edinburgh the same day in the Six Nations, Berrington even eyed a sporting double. We’ve also got the Scotland rugby team taking on England the same day. So it would make quite a nice headline if Scotland has two wins on Saturday,” he said.
Berrington was full of praise for George Munsey’s impact at the top. Opener Munsey scored 84 off just 54 balls with the help of 13 fours and two sixes.
“George is obvious; he’s a world-class player. I think he’s shown that for a period of time now. Such an important player for us, particularly at the top of the order. You know, he always goes out there and sets the tempo of the game. As we’ve seen there today, once he gets going, he’s very hard to bowl at. So I think when you’re watching that, it certainly gives the other players in the team a lot of confidence,” he added.
England’s narrow escape against Nepal has only added to Scotland’s belief.
“I watched that game. I was glued to the TV last night. So, cheering on Nepal. But that was awesome. It’s a good confidence booster for us going forward,” he added.
Published – February 10, 2026 03:47 am IST
