England won the toss and chose to bowl in Match 23 of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. The Group C encounter took place at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on February 14, 2026. This was only the second meeting between England and Scotland in T20 Internationals. England were playing without regular captain Jos Buttler who handed over duties to Harry Brook.
England were led by Harry Brook with Jos Buttler keeping wickets. Both teams fielded unchanged lineups from their previous matches. Scotland were captained by Richie Berrington with Matthew Cross behind the stumps. The match had high stakes for both teams looking to secure Super Eight qualification.
England produced a disciplined bowling performance to restrict Scotland to 152 runs. They then chased down the target despite losing early wickets. Tom Banton anchored the innings with an unbeaten 63 while Sam Curran provided crucial support. England sealed a 5-wicket victory with 10 balls remaining to keep their tournament hopes alive.
Match Summary
| Team | Score | Overs |
|---|---|---|
| Scotland | 152/10 | 19.4 |
| England | 155/5 | 18.2 |
| Result | England won by 5 wickets (10 balls remaining) | |
Archer Strikes Early Before Berrington Fights Back
Scotland lost George Munsey early when Jofra Archer got him caught at midwicket. Munsey pulled at a delivery but could only get height as Banton jogged in to complete the catch for 4. Brandon McMullen fell for a duck two balls later when he pulled another Archer delivery straight to deep square leg. Scotland slumped to 18 for 2 inside three overs.
Michael Jones counter-attacked with a brisk 33 off 20 balls. He struck 5 fours and 1 six at a rate of 165.00. Sam Curran dismissed Jones for 33 when the batter top-edged a slower ball to deep midwicket. Scotland were 42 for 3 at the end of the powerplay and in deep trouble.
Richie Berrington and Tom Bruce steadied the innings with a partnership of 71 runs for the fourth wicket. Berrington attacked the England spinners with 5 fours and 2 sixes in his 49 off 32 balls. Bruce provided solid support with 24 off 18 balls before Liam Dawson had him caught at deep backward square leg.
Scotland collapsed from 113 for 4 to 127 for 8 as Adil Rashid ripped through the middle order. He trapped Berrington lbw for 49 with the ball clipping leg stump. Rashid then had Matthew Cross caught at deep square leg for 8 before bowling Mark Watt for 2. Liam Dawson removed Michael Leask for 1. Oliver Davidson smashed an unbeaten 20 off 15 balls with 2 fours and 1 six. Brad Currie got run out as Scotland were bowled out for 152 in 19.4 overs.
Top Batting Performances
| Batter | Team | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Banton* | England | 63* | 41 | 4 | 3 |
| Richie Berrington | Scotland | 49 | 32 | 5 | 2 |
| Michael Jones | Scotland | 33 | 20 | 5 | 1 |
| Jacob Bethell | England | 32 | 28 | 2 | 1 |
| Sam Curran | England | 28 | 20 | 1 | 2 |
Scotland Strike Early Before Banton Steadies Chase
England got off to a terrible start when Brandon McMullen dismissed Phil Salt for 2 in the very first over. Salt drove early and got a thick edge straight to point. Brad Currie then removed Jos Buttler for 3 when the batter mistimed a lofted drive to mid-off. England were 13 for 2 inside two overs.
Tom Banton and Jacob Bethell rebuilt the innings with a partnership of 66 runs. Bethell played with control and struck 2 fours and 1 six in his 32 off 28 balls. Oliver Davidson dismissed Bethell for 32 when the batter swept straight to backward point. England were 79 for 3 but still needed 74 runs.
Harry Brook fell cheaply for 4 when he attempted a scoop shot off Michael Leask. The England captain only spooned it to short fine leg where Brad Wheal took a simple catch. England slipped to 86 for 4 with the match hanging in balance.
Tom Banton and Sam Curran put together a match-winning partnership of 46 runs. Banton reached his fifty off 33 balls with 3 fours and 3 sixes. He kept finding gaps and rotating strike brilliantly. Curran attacked Mark Watt and smashed him for 22 runs in his first over. He struck 1 four and 2 sixes in his 28 off 20 balls before Brad Wheal had him caught behind for 28. Will Jacks finished the job with a massive six over long-on followed by a boundary through midwicket. England reached the target of 153 in 18.2 overs with 5 wickets down.
Top Bowling Performances
| Bowler | Team | Overs | Runs | Wickets | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adil Rashid | England | 4 | 36 | 3 | 9.00 |
| Jofra Archer | England | 4 | 24 | 2 | 6.00 |
| Liam Dawson | England | 4 | 34 | 2 | 8.50 |
| Brandon McMullen | Scotland | 3 | 23 | 1 | 7.66 |
| Brad Currie | Scotland | 3 | 21 | 1 | 7.00 |
Player of the Match: Tom Banton
Tom Banton earned Player of the Match honors for his outstanding unbeaten 63 off 41 balls. He struck at a rate of 150.00 and hit 4 fours and 3 sixes. Banton anchored the chase after England lost early wickets and kept his composure under pressure. He found boundaries at crucial moments and rotated strike intelligently.
This was a vital victory for England as they bounced back from their defeat against West Indies. The 5-wicket win with 10 balls remaining keeps their Super Eight qualification hopes alive. Adil Rashid and Jofra Archer also deserve credit for their excellent bowling that restricted Scotland to a manageable total.
The defeat is a setback for Scotland who missed a golden opportunity to upset England. They will need to win their remaining matches to have any chance of progressing. For England, this win gives them momentum as they prepare to face Italy in their final group match with qualification in their own hands.
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