Scotland open their search for a first points of the tournament against Italy after a defeat in their first match. Chasing 183 against West Indies, they were 37 for 3 in the powerplay before Richie Berrington (42 off 24) and Tom Bruce (35 off 28) added 78, but the innings ended on 147 and the margin was 35 runs. Scotland are expected to keep the same side, with George Munsey and Michael Jones keen to improve at the top and Brandon McMullen looking to build on his 14. Berrington has 2,377 runs from 103 T20Is.
Bradley Currie was the pick of the bowlers in that game with 2 for 23 from four overs, and Oliver Davidson, Safyaan Sharif and Michael Leask also took one wicket each. Medium pacers such as Sharif and Currie should suit Eden Gardens, with Mark Watt, Davidson and Leask applying pressure through the middle overs.
Italy are in uncharted territory but come in after winning both warm-up matches, against Canada and the UAE. Anthony Mosca hit a rapid fifty against the UAE and opens with his brother Justin. Captain Wayne Madsen, 42, has 205 runs in seven T20Is for Italy, while Grant Stewart has 473 runs at a strike rate of 159.8 and 17 wickets. Ben Manenti is in form after a Big Bash League spell and an eight-wicket haul in the Europe qualifier.
