Both of England’s remaining group-stage opponents pose an element of the unknown, a point noted at the start of the tournament by Mark Watt, Scotland’s veteran left-arm spinner making his fifth World Cup appearance. “Quite funny thinking about the England analysis team trying to find club cricket games of some of our youngsters,” Watt said. “We’ve all had a laugh about that.” England have never played Italy and, in their only previous T20I meeting with Scotland – at the last World Cup in Barbados – George Munsey and Michael Jones staged an unbroken opening partnership worth 90 before the match was washed out.

Only Jofra Archer and Adil Rashid remain from the bowling line-up which took the field that day, the latter going at 13 runs an over from his two overs. And while those figures are reminiscent of Rashid’s three wicketless overs at 14.00 against Nepal, he turned that around against West Indies, where he was easily the pick of England’s bowlers in a losing cause on a turning Wankhede pitch.

If they trip up in their first outing in Kolkata, where Scotland have already played their first two matches of this World Cup, England’s last group encounter with Italy becomes crucial. So too does Scotland’s final clash with Nepal. On paper, England’s progression to the Super 8s should be assured, but they absolutely cannot take their Associate opponents lightly.

So far, this campaign has shown England need more consistency from their enviably deep batting line-up. Half-centuries to Jacob Bethell and Harry Brook still required the back-up of Will Jacks’ 18-ball 39 against Nepal and, even then, it took Sam Curran’s sublime death bowling to let them escape with victory. Against West Indies, it was Curran who ran out of partners and captain Brook believed his charges were too careful chasing. For Scotland, they need more than just the few plucky moments they produced in a 35-run loss to West Indies. They need everything to fire, as it did against Italy, and then some, to be in with a shot.

Three consecutive single-figure scores across this tournament and the Sri Lanka series that preceded it leave Tom Banton searching for runs, particularly amid calls for Harry Brook to leapfrog him into the No. 4 spot. An unbeaten 54 in a Player-of-the-Match performance against Sri Lanka in the second of their three games in the lead-up suggests the touch is there. Now he must rediscover it at a time when his side needs it most.

Having managed just one run against West Indies as Munsey too departed cheaply after a promising start, Michael Jones further highlighted the importance of Scotland’s opening duo with a 30-ball 37 in a 126-run stand – Munsey struck 84 off 54 – that set up victory over Italy. With the quality of the opposition now magnified, it is imperative that he supports his partner with an even bigger contribution to a union that could prove critical in getting enough runs on the board against England.

England confirmed an unchanged XI on the eve of the match, with Jamie Overton preferred to Luke Wood in the attack.

England:  Phil Salt,  Jos Buttler (wk), Jacob Bethell,  Tom Banton, Harry Brook (capt),  Sam Curran,  Will Jacks,  Liam Dawson,  Jamie Overton,  Jofra Archer,  Adil Rashid

Brad Wheal, who replaced Safyaan Sharif for the win over Italy, said Scotland had not made any decisions on their side.

Scotland: (possible) George Munsey,  Michael Jones,  Brandon McMullen,  Richie Berrington (capt),  Tom Bruce, Michael Leask, Matthew Cross (wk),  Mark Watt,  Oliver Davidson,  Brad Wheal,  Brad Currie

[Cricinfo]

“The other day was so disappointing because actually for 65-70% of that game I thought we were the better side,” was Gary Wilson’s assessment of Ireland’s opening-game defeat to the same opponents.

Whatever the reason, neither Oman nor Ireland have put their best foot forward so far in this tournament. Their net run rates (NRR) tell the tale, with Ireland’s at -2.175, and Oman’s even worse at -4.306.

So, as they say, it’s mainly pride at stake at the SSC on today [Saturday]. Recent form skews in favour of the Irish, who boast a 4-2 win – loss record  over Oman in T20Is, and have won each of their last three encounters. But Oman won the last World Cup meeting between the two sides in 2016.

Both teams come with severe problems to address. Oman’s bowlers have been ragged, particularly against Sri Lanka who scored 225 against them, and their batters have managed totals of 103 all out and 120 for 9.

Ireland have shown more promise in both departments but have been badly let down in the field, dropping nine catches across their two games. They will also be without their captain Paul Stirling, who has been ruled out of the rest of the tournament with a knee injury.

But while problems abound, Saturday will give these sides the chance to chase a significant target: points on the board.

Harry Tector is widely regarded as the cornerstone of Ireland’s middle order and a potential future captain. Against Oman, his importance will lie in his ability to navigate the conditions in Colombo – particularly against Oman’s spate of spin options. With Stirling out, even more will depend on Tector. He began the tournament promisingly with a 40 against Sri Lanka, and he will want to get back among the runs after falling for a duck against Australia.

Forty-three-year-old Mohammad Nadeem became the oldest half-centurion at a World Cup with his unbeaten 53 against Sri Lanka, which will no doubt have cemented his place in Oman’s middle order after missing out on their first game. With Oman’s top order showing fragility across their opening two games, his ability to anchor an innings could prove vital.

Sam Topping has been approved as Stirling’s replacement in Ireland’s squad, and could be in line for an international debut, though Tim Tector is also in consideration. Josh Little could potentially come back into the XI as well, in light of Oman’s struggles against pace.

Ireland (probable): Tim Tector,  Ross Adair,  Harry Tector,  Lorcan Tucker (capt & wk),  Curtis Campher,  Ben Calitz,  George Dockrell,  Gareth Delany,  Mark Adair,  Barry McCarthy/Josh Little,  Matthew Humphreys.

Offspinner Jay Odedra didn’t bowl against Zimbabwe, then bowled the second over against Sri Lanka, went for 14, and didn’t bowl again. Oman, though, don’t have an in-form bowler to pick in his place: left-arm spinner Shakeel Ahmed, who was left out against Sri Lanka, went for 27 in his two overs against Zimbabwe.

Oman (probable):  Jatinder Singh (capt),  Aamir Kaleem,  Hammad Mirza,  Wasim Ali,  Mohammad Nadeem,  Jiten Ramanandi,  Vinayak Shukla (wk),  Sufyan Mehmood,  Nadeem Khan,  Shah Faisal,  Jay Odedra/Shakeel Ahmed.

[Cricinfo]