SCO vs IRE Match Prediction: Who will win today's T20 World Cup 2022 match?
After Group A of the first round of the 2022 T20 World Cup was thrown wide open by Sri Lanka's convincing win over the United Arab Emirates, a Scotland vs Ireland clash will go a long way in deciding how Group B pans out. The two European nations will lock horns in Match 7 at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart on Wednesday, October 19.
Three Ireland vs Scotland T20I matches have been played since the start of 2019, and all three have been competitive encounters. While Scotland clinched one meeting by six wickets, the Irish fought back to win by four wickets and one run respectively in the next two matches.
Scotland are on the back of one of their best results in recent history, having dominated the West Indies by 42 runs a couple of days ago. George Munsey was adjudged the Player of the Match for his fighting fifty, with Michael Leask and Mark Watt scalping five wickets between them in an excellent display of control and planning.
Ireland, on the other hand, suffered a disappointing loss at the hands of Zimbabwe. They had no answers to Sikandar Raza's all-round heroics as the big names in the top order fell apart at the hands of the Chevrons' penetrative pacers.
Can Ireland set the cat amongst the Group B pigeons? Or can Scotland put themselves in an excellent position to qualify for the Super 12 stage?
Scotland vs Ireland Match Prediction T20 World Cup 2022
Paul Stirling is in a dreadful run of form at the moment, and his inability to find consistent runs has put immense pressure on his fellow top-order batters. Harry Tector has managed to come up with a series of important knocks under pressure in the recent past, but his failure against Zimbabwe left Ireland without any answers.
There were a few positives for Ireland, though. The middle order kept them in the hunt for a while; off-spinner Simi Singh and left-arm pacer Josh Little picked up a combined five wickets; Mark Adair was unlucky not to have more success. If a few stars in the batting department align, Ireland could well notch up their first win of the T20 World Cup.
For Scotland, young Michael Jones played a few beautiful shots in the powerplay and supported Munsey well. Although the southpaw slowed down immensely in the middle overs, he had enough support from the likes of Richie Berrington and Calum MacLeod to stay at the crease until the end of the innings.
This contest is too close to call. It will not only come down to whichever team executes their plans better on the night but will also hinge heavily on the toss, with the team batting first having enjoyed more success in this year's T20 World Cup. While it could go either way, Ireland could manage to iron out the chinks in their armor and get some points on the board.
Prediction: Ireland to win Match 7 of the 2022 T20 World Cup