England and Scotland will kick off a new chapter in a long-standing rivalry, that transcends borders, literally. Sharing a lot of history together, this is the first time England will be playing Scotland in a T20I and that too in a World Cup match no less. England start as overwhelming favourites but odds are less tilted in one side's favour heavily because of the fickle nature of the format.
Scotland knocked out West Indies in the last T20 World Cup, and that was their only win in the tournament Down Under. England ended up winning the tournament but lost to Ireland on their way. That was England's third loss to an European nation in T20Is, all in the World Cup. So, surprisingly, England would have that one small monkey to get rid of, off their back. However, England have the form and pedigree with them but Scotland can't be counted out.
With the players that played in those two games against Pakistan, it seems Sam Curran may not be part of the first XI as England have chosen to go with a frontline seamer which means that the batting ends at 7. Yes, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid and Chris Jordan all can wield their willow but England would have to be just a bit careful, especially with the weakness of the middle order including Bairstow, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali and Liam Livingstone against spin.
My Dream11 team for ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024, Match 6
Jos Buttler, Phil Salt, Will Jacks (vc), Richie Berrington, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Greaves, Mark Watt, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid (c), Safyaan Sharif
Squads
England: Jos Buttler(w/c), Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, Jonny Bairstow, Will Jacks, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Philip Salt, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley, Tom Hartley
Scotland: Matthew Cross(w), Michael Jones, George Munsey, Ollie Hairs, Richie Berrington(c), Michael Leask, Brandon McMullen, Jack Jarvis, Charlie Tear, Chris Greaves, Safyaan Sharif, Mark Watt, Brad Wheal, Bradley Currie, Chris Sole
