- England vs Scotland: Group B, Tuesday 4 June, 3.30pm - Kensington Oval, Barbados
- ICC Men’s T20 World Cup
England have to be on their guard given there are recent examples of them coming unstuck against unfancied sides. They were beaten by Ireland at the last T20 World Cup in Australia in late 2022 and lost their last meeting with Scotland - an ODI in Edinburgh in summer 2018.
Will it happen this time? Highly unlikely. The defending champions are 1/14 to win the match.
Let’s look for some value from online bookmakers elsewhere in a fixture which will surely be taken over by touring Brits at one of their favourite Caribbean holiday destinations.
Salt can make it a happy homecoming and Watt’s occurring?
Phil Salt - England’s Welsh-born, Barbados-raised opener - is going to have an excellent tournament. My view is that he’s going to be one of the standout players across all teams.
Salt lived in Barbados for a short time as a youngster, and I expect him to have a good day at this iconic venue.
Betway have him at 1/1 to hit two sixes in the match, which he did in scoring 45 at the Oval against Pakistan last week. He averages more than a six a game in his 23-game IT20 career - he has hit 35.
bet365′s 13/8 price on Scotland left-arm spinner Mark Watt to accrue over 20.5 points on the player performance stands out as something worth taking on as well.
Watt is one of Scotland’s most experienced bowlers with 102 wickets in 103 T20I appearances and has taken eight in his last four, dating back to mid-March.
The player performance rules…20 points per wicket, 10 per catch and one per run.
I expect him to strike at least once in this fixture, so he only needs to find a point from elsewhere. In a warm-up game against Afghanistan the other day, he struck once and hit 34 down the order. So he’s capable of a run or two, and it’s likely he’ll be required with the bat against the champions.
Back to Salt, and I would be keen to take him at 11/4 to be England’s top batter in this match - a price on offer with Ladbrokes.
He’s the Sole man!
Seamer Chris Sole, who bowls at the death for Scotland, is 9/2 to be their top bowler in the match, with VirginBet.
He has taken six wickets in his last three T20 internationals - warm-ups against Ireland and the Netherlands late last month - and I would be having a dabble at this juicy price.
Just to finish, bet365 are offering 6/1 on and England win and for Salt and Will Jacks - another of England’s top order batters with power to burn - to hit over 1.5 sixes apiece. That’s definitely not out of the question and is worth having a quid or two on.
More T20 World Cup Betting Offers
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