Scotland created history by becoming the first Associate Nation to score more than 200 runs in the T20 World Cup. Scotland achieved this special milestone during their T20 World Cup 2026 clash against debutants Italy on February 9 at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
George Munsey leads Scotland’s batting masterclass in Kolkata
After being asked to bat first by the Italy team, Scotland put on a stunning show and finished with a huge total of 207/4 on the board in their 20 overs, thanks to George Munsey‘s remarkable knock of 84 runs off 54 balls, laced with 13 massive boundaries and two sixes at the Eden Gardens.
Apart from Munsey’s brilliant fifty, Michael Jones (37) and Brandon McMullen (41*) have also made valuable contributions to help Scotland put up a strong total on the board.
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At the end of the innings, Michael Leask stole the show with his quick-fire cameo of 22 unbeaten runs off just 5 balls, studded with two boundaries and as many as maximums against Italy in the group match at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Scotland create T20 World Cup history by samshing 200-run barrier
With 207/4 total against Italy, Scotland becomes the first associate team to score 200-plus in a T20 World Cup match. Additionally, they also surpassed the previous best score by an Associate team in T20 World Cup history, which was 197 scored by the USA against Canada in 2024.
This strong batting performance placed Scotland at the top of the list for the highest totals by Associate teams in T20 World Cups. This list also features Canada’s 194 for 5 against the USA in 2024 and the Netherlands’ 193 for 4 against Ireland back in 2014.
Scotland openers register second-biggest stand in T20 World Cup history
The strong start played a big role in their record-breaking total. Scotland openers Munsey and Jones put together a memorable partnership of 126 runs against Italy. This stand is now the second-highest opening partnership by an Associate team in T20 World Cup history.
Oman’s Aqib Ilyas and Jatinder Singh, who added an unbeaten 131-run stand against Papua New Guinea in 2021, remain the highest-ever opening partnership by an associate team in T20 World Cup history. With their fearless batting performance, Scotland sent a strong message to the world.
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Scotland seize their chance after late entry
Meanwhile, Scotland came into the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026 as Bangladesh’s replacement after they decided to travel to India for the tournament. And they have made a strong impact in the tournament so far. In their tournament opener, Scotland showed great fight against the West Indies.
They fought till the 19th over but fell 35 runs short of the 183-run target against the West Indies. However, Scotland made a strong comeback and crushed Italy by 73 runs in their second T20 World Cup 2026 game as they took the perfect revenge for their qualifier defeat last year.
Brandon McMullen hails George Munsey and Michael Leask
Brandon McMullen said during the innings break, “It was a great performance from the team there. I thought George Munsey was excellent, with Michael Jones setting up the total for us at the back end to go out there and express ourselves. Really happy walking off at the halfway stage.”
He added, “Michael Leask is our X-factor player and played a top innings, showing what he can do for us.” Speaking about his own knock, McMullen noted, “I just think it’s a World Cup on the greatest stage of our game, so I’m just excited to get out there and play and hopefully put in a performance.”
