Tom Banton delivered a brilliant knock of 63 from 41 deliveries, steering England to an important win against Scotland in their T20 World Cup 2026 Group C match in Kolkata on Saturday. While pursuing 153, England suffered early setbacks as openers Phil Salt and Jos Buttler fell within the opening two overs. Banton then spearheaded the recovery effort, receiving valuable support from Jacob Bethell, Sam Curran and Will Jacks. Scotland had earlier squandered a promising beginning, collapsing as their final seven batsmen managed only 39 runs between them. England dismissed them for 152 in 19.4 overs. Jofra Archer claimed two scalps in a single over during the early stages, while Adil Rashid captured three wickets through the middle period. Scotland’s skipper Richie Berrington led the scoring with an impressive 49 from 32 deliveries. Tom Banton’s Fearless Performance Gave An Easy Win Over Scotland .
TOSS
England won the coin toss and decided to bowl first.
PLAYING XI
Scotland (Playing XI):
George Munsey, Michael Jones, Brandon McMullen, Richie Berrington(c), Tom Bruce, Michael Leask, Matthew Cross(w), Mark Watt, Oliver Davidson, Brad Currie, Brad Wheal
England (Playing XI):
Philip Salt, Jos Buttler(w), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Harry Brook(c), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Jamie Overton, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid
SCOTLAND-
Scotland certainly had the potential to post a much higher total than 152 for their bowlers to defend. They faced early trouble when Jofra Archer struck twice in one over, and Curran claimed another wicket during the PowerPlay. However, the fourth-wicket stand between Richie Berrington and Tom Bruce offered hope for a comeback. The pair wasted no time in their counter-attack. Before Adil Rashid could settle into his rhythm, these two batsmen targeted the leg-spinner aggressively during his opening spell, plundering 26 runs from his first two overs. The spin bowling strategy struggled initially in the middle phase, with Liam Dawson also receiving harsh treatment. This aggressive approach from Berrington and Bruce propelled Scotland to 90/3.
We are seeing Curran and Jamie Overton bowling only one over each before Brook brought the spin bowlers back. Dawson and Rashid actually handled the pressure well by definitely getting both batters out in back-to-back overs. They actually broke Scotland’s batting in just four overs, definitely pushing them from 105/3 in 12 overs to 127/8 in 16 overs. As per the match situation, Davidson swung his bat hard in the final overs against Archer and Curran to help his team cross 150 runs. For a short time, it surely appeared like a sufficient total for another World Cup surprise, but moreover, it proved inadequate in the final outcome.
ENGLAND-
England was progressing well at 82/3 in 10 overs while chasing Scotland’s target of 152, but they had to rebuild further when Bethell got out unexpectedly by giving a catch to Brad Wheal at short fine leg off Oliver Davidson’s bowling. England faced further problems when Harry Brook got out cheaply, as he too hit the ball to the short fine leg fielder off Michael Leask’s bowling. This incident itself reminded them of similar dismissals from the past. Basically, Curran came to bat when England was in trouble, but the same asking rate was still manageable for them. As per his usual style regarding pressure situations, he batted with Banton to help England get out of trouble.
The two batsmen surely changed the game situation from needing 44 runs in 36 balls by scoring 10 runs against Leask and 13 runs against Watt. Moreover, this aggressive batting approach put significant pressure on the Scottish bowling attack. Wheal surely returned to dismiss Curran, but England needed only 21 runs from 24 balls at that stage. Wheal surely bowled a controlled over following the dismissal, conceding merely five runs. Moreover, Jacks and Banton successfully guided their team to victory with 10 deliveries remaining.
Brief scores:
Scotland scored 152 runs in 19.4 overs with Richie Berrington making 49 runs, but England chased the target itself and scored 155 runs in 18.2 overs to win by 5 wickets. Tom Banton further contributed 63 runs for England’s victory.
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