A floundering England will square off against traditional sporting rivals Scotland here on Saturday in a must-win T20 World Cup match that could well determine which of the two teams progresses to the Super Eight stage from Group C. West Indies sit atop with back-to-back wins, while Scotland, Italy and England -- all with one win each -- are separated only by net run rate. Scotland hold the second spot thanks to their massive win Italy. So, Saturday's clash could give either side a decisive edge in the race for second place as both are expected to win their final group games, with Scotland facing Nepal and England taking on Italy. Their rivalry, born with football's first official International in 1872, has long been fuelled by history and identity. On the cricket field, it's still new but has steadily acquired its own narrative. Scotland had stunned England by six runs after posting a massive 371/5 in a one-off ODI in Edinburgh in 2018, and in the 2024 T20 World Cup, their group
West Indies, batting first, posted a competitive total of 196/6, largely thanks to Sherfane Rutherford's explosive 76* off 54 balls.
Despite the narrow victory, England will be determined to regroup and put on a more dominant performance as they aim to outplay West Indies and maintain their unbeaten streak in the tournament.
England heads into this match following a thrilling victory over Nepal, which went down to the final ball.
Although the result was tense, England will look to bounce back and deliver a more commanding performance in this crucial Group C clash.
Senior batter Jos Buttler said cricket is relatively behind other sports in relaying messages to on-field players, after head coach Brendon McCullum was seen communicating with England captain Harry Brook through a walkie-talking during drinks break in their T20 World Cup clash against Nepal here. But in some sports like Formula 1, Race Engineers direct drivers in real-time via radio, covering strategy, engine settings, tire management, and safety info. In football, managers are allowed to communicate with players from the sidelines. "I think so, there's (been) walkie-talkies for a while to be fair. But then the communication from top to bottom has always been really good in the group," Buttler told reporters when asked if the motive behind using walkie-talkie was way for McCullum to have a more hands-on approach. "Baz can sit with his feet up and his sunglasses on and look very relaxed, but he's as sharp a coach as I've ever worked with. He doesn't miss a beat," Buttler said. "I .
Sam Curran defends 10 runs off the final over to help the two-time champions start their 2026 T20 World Cup campaign on a high
ICC T20 World Cup HIGHLIGHTS: Earlier, New Zealand beat Afghanistan in the first Group D match of the event in Chennai
Harry Brook-led England will look to kickstart their campaign with a big win over Nepal
Having come close to beating South Africa in the last edition and defeating the West Indies recently, Nepal are poised to challenge the bigger teams and make an impact in this World Cup.
Falconer's hundred for England went in vain as India beat England by 100 runs courtesy of a splendid 175 runs by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
India, the most successful team in the tournament's history with five titles, will be looking to secure their sixth crown.
The final promises to be a highly anticipated clash between two of the tournament's most consistent teams.
Vaibhav hit 8 boundaries and 8 sixes to complete his century that cements his place as the tournament's top scorer as well for now.
The title decider will be played at Harare on Friday, 6 February 2026, with experienced officials appointed to oversee the tournament's biggest contest.
The partnership has been launched with an interactive campaign titled Craziest Fan Kaun, which allows users to create personalised avatars using Gemini's image-generation capabilities
England beat Australia in the first semifinal of the tournament to book their place in the title clash
ICC U19 World Cup semifinal highlights Australia vs England: England will now face the winner of semifinal two between India and Afghanistan in the final on Friday
Tom Banton and Harry Brook have been key contributors with the bat, while Sam Curran's all-round performances have been crucial.
Sri Lanka so far have played 23 T20I matches at this venue. They have won 11 matches, lost ten, while one match ended in no contest