Mark Watt, the Scotland spinner, has returned to India after a decade away and wants to take things at a slower pace this time. His last visit was during the 2016 T20 World Cup, which he recalls as a time filled with fast action. Now, at 29, Watt aims to make every moment count in the 2026 T20 World Cup, showing that Scotland deserves a place in International tournaments.
Scotland nearly watched the tournament from home after failing to qualify in Europe. They needed Bangladesh to step back for another chance at qualification, which ultimately ended their World Cup journey. Watt stated that, despite the unusual scenario, the team views their situation as a valid opportunity, not a gift.
Before Scotland’s first match against the West Indies in Kolkata, Watt said:
“To wrap it all in one word would just be excitement. It’s probably all come together in the past 10 days.”
Scotland Believes They Belong Here
Scotland builds confidence through actual match results rather than relying on luck. The team beat the West Indies in the 2022 T20 World Cup in Hobart and again during an ODI match in Harare in 2023. They believe these wins show they can compete with major teams.
Watt stated:
“We’ve beaten West Indies twice very recently, so I don’t see why we can’t do it again. 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.”
Scotland ranks higher than Nepal and Italy, who are in Group C with the West Indies and England. Watt feels teams will respect Scotland because of their strong start against England in the last World Cup match they played, which was unfortunately rained off.
“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.”
Scotland Aims to Take Advantage of Conditions
The late entry into the tournament might have made it harder for opponents to prepare. Watt humorously noted that analysts might struggle to find footage of Scotland’s younger players.
“It’d be quite funny thinking about the England analysis team trying to find club Cricket games of some of our youngsters.”
Scotland is set to thrive in conditions that favor pace bowlers. The pitches at Eden Gardens and in Mumbai are known for supporting fast bowling, and Kolkata reminds Watt of his home ground in Edinburgh.
Watt said:
“I think Kolkata is just a really good cricket wicket. 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.”
The World Cup provides Watt with a chance to elevate cricket in his home country by attracting new fans who can witness international matches.
“Our job is to go out there and beat Test-playing nations and inspire young kids to grow up and look at us on TV and say, ‘I want to do that.’
Watt hopes Scotland will savor every moment of their special World Cup experience in cricket-loving India.
