England will start their defence of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup with a game against Scotland next week.
Jos Buttler‘s men were victorious in 2022 to become joint ODI and T20 world champions, and after losing the former late last year, they’ll be determined not to lose this title as well.
Since that game, there have been a few changes, with the most notable absence from the England squad being Ben Stokes.
The England Test captain decided to pull out of this edition of the World Cup to focus on his bowling after a long battle with injury stopped him from being able to contribute with the ball.
Meanwhile, Scotland are set to play in their fifth T20 World Cup and would love to start the tournament by beating their British rivals.
England vs Scotland T20 Cricket World Cup: Date and how to follow
This T20 World Cup Group B clash is set to take place on Tuesday, June 4.
It will be held at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados.
The action is set to get underway at 3:30pm UK time.
It will be shown on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Cricket.
Sky Go customers can watch via their laptops or mobile devices.
Alternatively, viewers can purchase a NOW TV membership, with monthly passes currently on sale for £26.
talkSPORT will have updates from the West Indies throughout the afternoon from Mel Farrell, while you will get instant reaction on the talkSPORT Cricket YouTube channel.
To tune in to talkSPORT through the website, click HERE for the live stream.
You can also listen via the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.
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England vs Scotland T20 Cricket World Cup: Group fixtures
England
- Tuesday, June 4 – England vs Scotland – 3:30pm
- Saturday, June 8 – Australia vs England – 6pm
- Thursday, June 13 – England vs Oman – 8pm
- Saturday, June 15 – England vs Namibia – 6pm
Scotland
- Tuesday, June 4 – Scotland vs England – 3:30pm
- Thursday, June 6 – Scotland vs Namibia – 8pm
- Sunday, June 9 – Scotland vs Oman – 6pm
- Sunday, June 16 – Scotland vs Australia – 1:30am
England vs Scotland T20 Cricket World Cup: Squads and team news
While there is no Stokes for England, they do have Jofra Archer fit again.
The bowler was born in Barbados and will get to return to his birth country in this game, where he will be looking to put nearly four-and-a-half years of injury pain behind him.
England Test opener Ben Duckett has also been called up, along with Tom Hartley, who impressed in India with the Test side earlier this year.
But despite opening in the longer format, Duckett is most likely going to be on the bench, with Buttler joining Phil Salt in opening the batting.
Will Jacks, Jonny Bairstow and Harry Brook are likely to round off the top five.
For Scotland, Brad Wheal and Michael Jones have returned to the squad.
Richie Berrington is the captain, and Scotland will look to build on a decent 2022 tournament in which they beat the West Indies.
England squad: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonathan Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, Mark Wood
Scotland squad: Richie Berrington (c), Matthew Cross, Brad Currie, Chris Greaves, Oli Hairs, Jack Jarvis, Michael Jones, Michael Leask, Brandon McMullen, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Chris Sole, Charlie Tear, Mark Watt, Brad Wheal
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England vs Scotland: What has been said?
England seam bowler Chris Jordan admitted he was delighted to see Archer return to the England team with two wickets against Pakistan ahead of the T20 World Cup.
Speaking after the game, he said: “It gave me goosebumps to see him take that wicket.
“In the last six months, I feel like I’ve seen a shift in his vibe and his mindset. He seemed really happy stepping on the field. He might not have looked it, but I bet he was quite nervous.
“It’s a different-level mood. Every batsman that came out, they were thinking about the bouncer straight away.
“That in itself adds a different dynamic to the bowling attack, and some good variety as well. I think we’ve got a good mix. Hopefully, we can keep building on it.”