Archer’s Milestone and Spin Mastery Put England in Command of Scotland Clash

Spin control and early pace damage combined to put England in command against Scotland in a tense World Cup group fixture at Eden Gardens, as the English attack sliced through the batting order to restrict Scotland to 152 all out.

The contest, widely tracked under the England vs Scotland rivalry tag, turned on discipline through the middle overs after a fiery new-ball spell set the tone. Jofra Archer struck twice in one over, removing both openers with sharp lift and seam movement, bringing up his 50th T20I wicket and pushing Scotland onto the back foot inside the powerplay.

Scotland rebuilt through captain Richie Berrington (49 off 32), who counterpunched with authority and refused to let the run rate stall. Partnering with Tom Bruce (24 off 18), he added crucial runs and briefly forced England to rethink their bowling rotation. Just when the innings seemed to be stabilizing, spin flipped the script.

Left-arm control from Liam Dawson (2/34) triggered the slide. He broke the stand and exposed the middle order, drawing errors with changes of pace and tight angles. From the other end, Adil Rashid applied (3/36) classic wrist-spin pressure, including googlies, sharp leg-breaks, and clever drift. Berrington fell just short of a half-century when trapped in front, and the lower order struggled to read Rashid’s variations.

Risky sweeps and forced hits led to a cluster of wickets as Scotland lost control in the final stretch. A few late boundaries pushed the total past 150, but the score remained under what conditions suggested was par.

England now head into the chase with momentum and a clear Super 8 pathway in sight, while Scotland must rely on bowling accuracy to defend a modest total in this high-stakes England vs Scotland clash.