England aim to spoil Scotland's upset dream as they seek redemption in Kolkata clash

Beating England was always a dream for Scotland, England batsman Phil Salt said ahead of the T20 World Cup Group C decider. On Saturday 12 February, England will be looking to bounce back from their defeat against the West Indies.

England won three of the four completed ODIs against Scotland. The teams have only met once in T20Is, in 2024 in Bridgetown, Barbados, where Scotland started brightly, scoring 90 runs in 10 overs before rain intervened.

Salt added that England will be looking to produce their best performance against the Scots as they look to restore momentum in the tournament.

“I think there’s always a bit of that, certainly from their side as well. I think this is, knowing a few of their lads, it’s a bit of a special game for them. The opportunity to upset England is a dream for most Scots I think. So there’s a bit of that,” Salt said at the pre-match press conference.

“With that being said, it’s another cricket, this World Cup, and we have to bring the best version of ourselves. Simple really,” Salt added.

HOW DID YOU GET ENGLAND, SCOTLAND?

England opened their campaign with a nervy four-run win over Nepal at the Wankhede Stadium but faltered against the West Indies, failing to chase down 197 and losing by 30 runs. Defeat on Saturday would put England at serious risk of an early exit from the tournament.

Scotland, on the other hand, are brimming with confidence after a 73-run victory over debutants Italy. George Munsey set the tone with an 84-run knock off 54 balls, while Michael Leask took four crucial wickets to seal the win. A win on Saturday would put Scotland in a strong position to qualify for the Super 8 stage.

The Scots were not originally supposed to play in the T20 World Cup and only got the chance after Bangladesh pulled out of the tournament, standing firm on their decision not to play matches on Indian soil.

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Issued by:

sabyasachi chowdhury

Published on:

February 13, 2026

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