England aim to spoil Scotland's upset dream as they seek redemption in Kolkata clash
India Today
T20 World Cup, ENG vs SCO: Phil Salt said that England will be looking to bring out their best version in a game where Scotland will be looking to pull off an upset at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
For Scotland, beating England has always been a dream, England batter Phil Salt said ahead of the crucial T20 World Cup Group C clash. On Saturday, February 12, England will aim to bounce back from their defeat against the West Indies.
England have won three of the four completed ODIs against Scotland. In T20Is, the teams have met only once, in 2024 at Bridgetown, Barbados, where Scotland got off to a brisk start, scoring 90 runs in 10 overs before rain intervened.
Salt added that England will look to bring their best performance against the Scots as they seek to recover momentum in the tournament.
“I think there's always a bit of that, definitely from their side as well. I think this is, knowing a few of their boys, this is a bit of a special game for them. An opportunity to upset England is, I think, most Scotsmen's dream. So there is a bit of that,” Salt said in the pre-match press conference.
“With that being said, it's another game of cricket, this World Cup, and we've got to bring the best version of ourselves. Really simple,” Salt added.
England began their campaign with a nervy four-run win over Nepal at the Wankhede Stadium but faltered against the West Indies, failing to chase 197 and losing by 30 runs. A defeat on Saturday would put England at serious risk of early elimination from the tournament.
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On this day on March 14, 2001, India overcame a massive first-innings deficit to script a remarkable 171-run victory against Australia in the 2001 Kolkata Test, powered by the record-breaking partnership of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman and a dominant display by Harbhajan Singh on the final day.