Mark Watt is back in India for another T20 World Cup, and the left-arm spinner is determined the experience will not, as he puts it, “flew past really quickly” this time around.
Nine months ago Scotland thought they would be at home watching the tournament. A poor week at the European qualifier cost them the lone berth and they began making winter plans. Then Bangladesh withdrew, a late invitation arrived, and suddenly a squad that had mentally clocked off was on a flight to Kolkata.
“To wrap it all in one word would just be excitement,” Watt, 29, said on the eve of Saturday’s group opener against West Indies at Eden Gardens. “It’s probably all come together in the past 10 days.”
Scotland may have snuck in through the side door yet their recent record suggests they fit. They beat West Indies in Hobart at the 2022 edition and repeated the trick in last year’s ODI qualifier in Harare. Those results, together with a T20I ranking higher than Nepal and Italy, have stiffened belief.
“We’ve beaten West Indies twice very recently, so I don’t see why we can’t do it again,” Watt said. “We’re all very confident. We still massively believe that we should be here. We had a bad month in the summer [during the Europe Qualifier] but we are not second-guessing our invite.”
He added: “We’ve caused a few upsets in the past. We had a really good start against England in the last World Cup game too [in 2024], that was sadly rained off. I don’t think teams will be taking us lightly at all.”
Analysts from the bigger nations have been hunting for footage of Scotland’s newer faces. “It’d be quite funny thinking about the England analysis team trying to find club cricket games of some of our youngsters,” Watt joked. The lack of data could be a small edge in a format where marginal gains matter.
Conditions may tilt slightly Scotland’s way as well. Eden Gardens often offers seam movement early and pace off the surface later, a profile not dissimilar to Edinburgh’s Grange. The Scots also play Nepal in Mumbai, another venue with carry for the quicker bowlers.
“I think Kolkata is just a really good cricket wicket,” Watt observed. “I spoke to a few of the Afghan players, like [Mohammad] Nabi and Rashid Khan, about what’s the best way to bowl here. They did say it’s a pretty flat wicket.” Translation: bowl straight, hold your nerve and trust the big square boundaries.
Head coach Doug Watson echoed his senior spinner, insisting Scotland’s late inclusion has not lowered internal expectations. “We’ve got evidence we can compete,” he noted during training on Thursday, referencing wins over Bangladesh in 2021 and Zimbabwe in 2023. “If we execute, we’ll be in games deep into the final overs.”
For all the optimism, the climb is steep. West Indies arrive with Nicholas Pooran in ominous touch and a battery of all-rounders suited to Eden’s true surface. Scotland’s batting can misfire against high pace, and their death overs, minus retired seamer Safyaan Sharif, remain untested.
Still, Watt’s uncomplicated message to team-mates is to lean on past memories: Hobart 2022, Harare 2023. Those days proved Scotland belong.
“It’s about embracing the stage, not freezing,” he said, tugging on a sun-bleached Scotland cap after training. “Opportunities like this don’t come round too often. We’re here now; let’s make it count.”
The late call-up may have been unexpected, but for Scotland the World Cup starts tomorrow and belief is already in the bank.
