England coach Matthew Mott admits holders looked ‘sloppy’ before rain saw T20 World Cup opener against Scotland abandoned
- England’s T20 World Cup defense suffered an early setback on Tuesday
- Their rain-soaked opening match against Scotland in Barbados was wiped out
- Only 10 overs were possible under the rain and the match was abandoned
England coach Matthew Mott complained of a ‘sloppy’ performance after rain prevented their T20 World Cup defense from starting in a potentially embarrassing defeat to Scotland.
On a gray, soggy day that looked more Birmingham than Bridgetown, Jos Buttler’s team had needed a daunting 109 in 10 overs after Scotland’s opening pair of George Munsey and Michael Jones posted an unbroken 90.
But the showers that had interrupted Scotland’s innings for more than two hours returned before England could begin their response, casting further doubt on the wisdom of staging a World Cup in the Caribbean’s rainy season and bonding an uncomfortable importance to Saturday’s match here against Australia.
Should England lose that, they could find themselves in a battle to qualify for the Super Eights, with the possibility of net run-rate deciding their fate. But to take a wicket or score a run, the world champions are already nervously looking over their shoulders.
“It was incredibly frustrating for both teams,” Mott said. ‘We were a bit sloppy in the field and there were some nerves at the start of the tournament, but there were good areas and I think that goal would have been well within our reach.’
England national coach Matthew Mott regretted a ‘sloppy’ performance against Scotland on Tuesday
Rain prevented their defense from starting in a potentially embarrassing defeat to Scotland
Still, a farcical defeat would have been commensurate with a day that started with rain leaking through the blankets and creating a damp patch for quite some distance that the grounds crew tried to remove with a leaf blower and a decrepit sponge.
And once the game got underway, England seemed worryingly off the pace. The fourth ball, from Mark Wood – whose pace saw him skip Reece Topley – was hammered by Munsey at mid-on, while Jofra Archer’s first over gave Jones too much space.
There were misfields too, and when England thought they had finally broken through thanks to a Munsey top edge off Wood in the hands of Buttler, replays showed there was no ball.
Jones, who was at number 7 for Durham on Friday, then pulled Chris Jordan onto the roof of the Greenidge & Haynes stand, denting a solar panel as well as the English pride.
The heavens opened at 51 for no loss after 6.2 overs, and by the time a 10-over match resumed, both Wood and Archer had completed their two-over allocations. Adil Rashid’s first over was hammered on 18, leaving Scotland dreaming and England without a win in five T20 World Cup matches against European opponents.