Munsey and Leask spoil Italy's T20 World Cup debut

Scotland may have suffered a blip the last time they faced Italy in a T20I but ensured they picked up the first points of their 2026 T20 World Cup campaign after a dominant performance at Eden Gardens. George Munsey's 54-ball 84, supported by cameos from Brandon McMullen and Michael Leask, followed by Leask's four-wicket haul helped Scotland spoil Italy's debut in the tournament. The 73-run win gave Scotland two points after their defeat to West Indies in Kolkata two days ago.

Italy faced baptism by fire in their maiden outing, thanks to Munsey and Michael Jones adding 126 for the opening wicket. They were able to pull the game back a little with two wickets in two overs but a strong finish took Scotland to 207 for 4 - the highest total by an Associate team at the men's T20 World Cup, surpassing USA's 197 for 3 in the previous edition.

After hammering 22 off 5 balls, Leask took figures of 4 for 17, including a wicket off the first ball of the chase. Italy had also suffered an early jolt when their captain Wayne Madsen suffered a shoulder dislocation in the fourth over of the game and could not bat.

It did not take long for Munsey, who has a reputation for giving Scotland rapid starts in the powerplay, to get going. He hit three fours in his first eight balls, including two in the opening over from Ali Hasan, and then tore into Thomas Draca with a hat-trick of fours in the fourth over. Among Scotland batters who have faced at least 100 balls in the powerplay, no one scores at a higher strike rate than Munsey's 138.3. He got a reprieve on 41 when Anthony Mosca dropped a sitter at cover before racing to a 30-ball fifty. Munsey's flier also allowed Micheal Jones time to get going, and their century partnership was the first for Scotland for any wicket in T20 World Cups.

Grant Stewart provided Italy the breakthrough when he had Munsey pulling to long-on in the 14th over. JJ Smuts followed by dismissing Jones in the next over. But McMullen never let the momentum drop. He hit four sixes in his knock, including two in a row off legspinner Crishan Kalugamage. By the time Leask completed his blitz, Scotland had scored 54 off the death overs (17-20) and there was a sense that they had already batted Italy out of the game.

One of the talking points in Scotland's defeat to West Indies was Leask being sent in at No. 8 behind Mark Watt. Against Italy, he walked out after Scotland had lost two wickets in three deliveries, and with only five balls left in the innings. He pre-empted Draca's line to put a full and wide one through covers before hitting a short ball through midwicket. When Draca went short again, Leask was into position early to pull over midwicket and raise Scotland's 200. The last delivery of the innings was a full toss that he hit for six.

With momentum firmly with him and Scotland, Leask dismissed Justin Mosca first ball - a cut shot intercepted by a diving Munsey at backward point. Leask was then brought back when Ben and Harry Manenti's partnership was flourishing. He had Harry caught at long-off to end the fourth-wicket stand and took two more wickets in his final over. With Italy's asking rate nudging 13, Stewart and Gian-Piero Meade both holed out to long-off and long-on respectively to give Leask his best figures in T20 cricket.

The only phase when Italy seemed to be on top was when the Manenti brothers were in the middle. JJ Smuts had hit the first six for Italy in T20 World Cups when he sent Brad Wheal into the deep backward square leg stands, but he soon perished. Anthony Mosca, who also hit Wheal for a six in the 23-run third over, didn't last long.

Harry and Ben Manenti got together in the fifth over with Italy on 40 for 3. Harry Manenti forced the pace by hitting left-arm spinner Oliver Davidson for two sixes in his first two overs. Ben Manenti also was brisk and Italy were 87 for 3 at the ten-over mark; Scotland were 91 for 0 at the same stage. The Manentis managed to score 13 in each of the next two overs to keep Italy abreast of the required rate. Ben Manenti soon completed his fifty off just 29 balls. But when both brothers fell in the space of 11 deliveries, the Italian challenge had ended, especially with Madsen not available to bat.