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SCOTLAND VS NEW ZEALAND MATCH DETAILS:

Match: Scotland vs New Zealand, 1st T20I, New Zealand tour of Scotland, 2022
Date and Time: July 27, 2022, Wednesday, 07:30 PM IST
Venue: Grange Cricket Club, Edinburgh

Scotland would take on New Zealand at home in Edinburgh in the first game of the two-match T20 series. The hosts are playing this format for the first time in eight months under a new skipper and the side would be looking to do well. New Zealand comes here after a fantastic tour of Ireland where they whitewashed the hosts in both T20s and ODIs and shall carry that confidence.     

Scotland shall be playing this format after eight months and the players are expected to be rusty. They have never defeated New Zealand in the past and this is likely to put pressure on the team. New Zealand has looked in good form in recent matches and they would look to carry this momentum forward.  Scotland is all set to host New Zealand for a limited-overs series, comprising two T20Is and one ODI, starting from July 27. All games will be played at the Grange Cricket Club in Edinburgh.

Scotland recently competed in the ICC Cricket World Cup League Two 2019-23. They comprehensively beat Nepal in their last game. They will now look to carry forward the winning momentum while facing the Kiwis at home.

Richie Berrington has been handed the responsibility of leading the Scottish side after Kyle Coetzer announced his retirement from the shortest format. They have some exciting players on their side who will be eager to step up against the upbeat New Zealand side.

New Zealand recently toured Ireland for a limited-overs series. They won the three-match ODI series and followed it up by clean-sweeping the three-match T20I series. They will be keen to carry forward the winning momentum against the Scottish side.

The New Zealand side has got several experienced players like Martin Guptill, James Neesham, and Lockie Ferguson who will be hoping to contribute to the team’s success. After having a successful outing against Ireland, New Zealand will now take on Scotland in a two-match T20I series followed by a one-off ODI. The first match of the series will be played at the Grange Cricket Club in Edinburgh on July 27 (Wednesday).

The Blackcaps have opted for the same team that was used during the Ireland tour, with Mitchell Santner to lead the visitors. Meanwhile, the home team will be missing the services of their prominent opening batter Kyle Coetzer who recently announced his retirement from the T20I format.

SCOTLAND PREVIEW

Richie Berrington takes over from Kyle Coetzer as the skipper for the side and he will look to make a good start to his career as skipper. The new skipper has a big challenge on his hands as New Zealand would be a tough side to beat based on their current form. They haven’t defeated the Kiwis in the past and Berrington would look to get over this poor record.  

The side would look for a good start from Coetzer and Matthew Cross as the Kiwi new ball bowlers would come hard at them. Richie Berrington must lead from the front and add runs in the middle order with Calum MacLeod and George Munsey. Michael Leask has grown in confidence as a finisher, and he would look to add quick runs with Alasdair Evans in this game.   

Chris Sole and MacLeod shall have to make good use of the new ball and prevent the New Zealanders from scoring quickly during the powerplay. Adrian Neill and Hamza Tahir have good experience in these conditions and the side would have big expectations from them in this game. Safayaan Sharif, Leask, and Evans would need to do well in the supporting act for the side to win.  

NEW ZEALAND PREVIEW

Mitchell Santner would be confident coming into this series. His players displayed great form against Ireland in the last series winning it 3-0. The batting line-up has looked in good form and the bowlers have also performed to their potential. Santner shall look to continue with this form and set the tone for the rest of the series with a big win in this game.  

The opening pair of Martin Guptill and Finn Allen did well in Ireland and the side would like to see a good start from them here. In the middle order Dane Cleaver, Glenn Phillips, and Darryl Mitchell add punch to their batting line-up as they are good stroke makers. The side would also expect runs from the bats of James Neesham, Michael Bracewell, and Santner who can hit the ball hard.  

They have a strong bowling attack, and the new ball pair of Lockie Ferguson and Blair Tickner would look to make good use of the conditions. Early wickets from them would put the side in a commanding position. Ish Sodhi and Santner are smart bowlers, and they shall look to make good use of their variations. Neesham and Mitchell add to the side’s bowling depth making it strong.   

SCOTLAND VS NEW ZEALAND PITCH REPORT

The pitch at the Grange Cricket Club is a balanced track. The batters will have to be patient early in their innings as the new-ball bowlers will get some lateral movement off the surface. Expect the surface to stay true throughout the match.

SCOTLAND VS NEW ZEALAND WEATHER FORECAST

The conditions will be ideal for a game of cricket with the temperature in Edinburgh expected to range between 12 and 19 degrees Celsius.

TOSS: TO BOWL

The early conditions at this venue favor the bowlers and the wicket gets better to bat on as the game progresses. We have seen most teams win games chasing scores at this venue. The side winning the toss in this game shall have no hesitation in opting to bowl first.

SCOTLAND VS NEW ZEALAND IS PROBABLE XIS

SCOTLAND

PROBABLE XI

George Munsey, Michael Jones, Calum MacLeod, Richie Berrington (c), Michael Leask, Matthew Cross (wk), Chris Greaves, Safyaan Sharif, Gavin Main, Mark Watt, Chris Sole

NEW ZEALAND

PROBABLE XI

Martin Guptill, Finn Allen (wk), Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner, Lockie Ferguson, Blair Tickner, Ish Sodhi

PROBABLE THE BEST BATTER OF THE 1ST T20I MATCH

MARTIN GUPTILL:

Senior batter Martin Guptill could not show his true colors during the T20I series against Ireland, but he gave some quick starts to his team. The right-handed batter will want to score a big one during the first encounter against Scotland on Wednesday.

PROBABLE THE BEST BOWLER OF THE 1ST T20I MATCH

LOCKIE FERGUSON:

Express pacer Lockie Ferguson was in excellent form with the ball against Ireland, and he will want to emulate his performances in the upcoming series against Scotland as well. The right-arm pacer bowled some fiery spells against the Irish team and will want to contribute against Scotland as well.

WINNING PREDICTION

Scotland would face a tough challenge. They come here with a series of losses and haven’t played in this format of the game for the last eight months. Their batsmen would be tested and need to deliver to their best potential in this game. New Zealand comes here in good form and the side has its key players in good form. This would make them favorites to win this contest.

New Zealand to win.