After Group A of the initial round of the 2022 T20 World Cup was thrown wide open by Sri Lanka’s powerful victory over the United Arab Emirates, a Scotland vs Ireland clash will go a long way in deciding how Group B pans out. The two European states will lock horns in Match 7 at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart on Wednesday, October 19.
3 Ireland vs Scotland T20I games have been performed since the beginning of 2019, and all 3 have been competitive encounters. While Scotland linked one meeting by 6 wickets, the Irish fought back to victory by 4 wickets and 1 run respectively in the next 2 matches.
Scotland is on the back of one of their best effect in recent history, having controlled the West Indies by 42 runs a few days ago. George Munsey was adjudged the Player of the game for his fighting 50, with Michael Leask and Mark Watt scalping 5 wickets between them in an excellent display of control and planning.
Ireland, at the same time, experienced a disappointing loss at the hands of Zimbabwe. They had no response to Sikandar Raza’s all-around heroics as the big names in the top order fell apart at the hands of the Chevrons’ penetrative fast bowler.
Can Ireland set the cat between the Group B pigeons? Or can Scotland put themselves in a good position to empower for the Super 12 stage?
T20 World Cup 2022 |Scotland vs Ireland Match Prediction
Paul Stirling is in a horrible run of form currently, and his inability to find consistent runs has put huge pressure on his fellow top-order batters. Harry Tector has handled to come up with a series of significant knocks that troubled them in the recent past, but his defeat against Zimbabwe left Ireland without any response.
There were some positives for Ireland, though. The middle order kept them in the chase for a while; off-spinner Simi Singh and left-arm fast bowler Josh Little picked up a combined 5 wickets; Mark Adair was unfortunate not to have greater success. If some stars in the batting department align, Ireland could well notch up their primary victory in the T20 World Cup.
For Scotland, young Michael Jones performed a few beautiful shots in the powerplay and endorsed Munsey well. However, the southpaw slowed down exceedingly in the middle overs, he had adequate support from the likes of Richie Berrington and Calum MacLeod to stay at the crease before the end of the innings.
This contest is likewise close to call. It will not only get down to whichever team performs their plans better on the night but will also hinge seriously on the toss, with the team batting primarily having enjoyed greater success in this year’s T20 World Cup. While it could go either way, Ireland could manage to iron out the chinks in their armor and get a couple of points on the board.
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