United States of America vs Scotland, ICCCWCLT, Today Match Prediction 31 October 2024

USA vs SCT Match Prediction & Analysis

The ICC Cricket World Cup League Two 2023-27 is in its final stage of group games. The USA, Scotland, and Nepal are currently playing a tri-series in Houston. With just two games left for the qualification, the chase to the top is on fire. The USA will play the 40th game of the series against Nepal at Prairie View Cricket Complex, Houston on 31st October at 9 pm.

The USA won their last game against Nepal by three wickets in the final over of the game. This came after a tumultuous 48 hours where they lost to Scotland by 10 wickets and saw their coach making an early exit. Balling first, The USA bowled out Nepal for 286. Nosthush Kenjige took four wickets for 52. The USA lost Andries Gous in the second over during the chase, but Shayan Jahangir & skipper Monark Patel put up a partnership of 165 runs for the second wicket to help the USA secure a much-needed win.

After ing a mighty two-wicket win over the USA, Scotland crumbled against Nepal in their last game. Batting first, Scotland managed to go past 150 with only Mark Watt managing to score past 20. Brandon McMullen took two wickets for 41 during the chase but a calculated chase from Nepal saw them getting a defeat on their hand by 5 wickets.

Two days back. both teams played at the same venue. Scotland overpowered the USA in the first innings by restricting them to 144 for the loss of 10 wickets. Van Schalkwyk scored a half-century for the USA while Bradley Currie picked four wickets for Scotland. Scotland didn’t lose a sweat in return by chasing the target in 25 overs without losing a wicket. Andrew Umeed scored an unbeaten knock of 98 runs in 79 balls which included 13 fours and 2 sixes.

The USA is currently second in the points table with 14 points in 10 games and needs a win to overthrow Canada from the number one position. Scotland is fourth with 11 points and needs all three wins to reach the number one place.

TEAMS PREVIEW

United States of America Preview

The USA team must have finally caught some breath after some back-to-back setbacks. Andries Gous will open the innings with Shayan Jahangir. Though Gous failed to score in the last two games, he has 150 runs in 5 innings with two half-centuries. Jahangir scored a ton in the last game. He has 244 runs in the tournament with an average of 48.80. Skipper Monark Patel will come at number three. He is the most consistent batter of the lot. In 10 games, Patel has 383 runs with a century and three half-centuries. He will be the batter to watch out for.

Saiteja Mukkamalla, Milind Kumar, and Sanjay Krishnamurthi will come in the middle for the USA. Saiteja Mukkamalla has the highest average of 85.33 among the USA batters. In 5 innings he has scored 256 runs with a century and two half-centuries. Milind Kumar who scored a duck in the last game, will play the role of an anchor in the middle. Averaging 52, Kumar has scored 364 runs in 9 innings of the ICC Cricket World Cup League Two 2023-27. The all-rounder has been terrific with the ball claiming 8 wickets at an average of 19.50 - the lowest among the USA bowlers.

Saurabh Netravalkar will lead the bowling attack with Jasdeep Singh, Shadley van Schalkwyk, and Nosthush Kenjige. Netravalkar who came back from a short break has nine wickets in six matches at an economy of 4.28 - the lowest among the bowlers. Van Schalkwyk has 14 wickets in 8 games and has scored 126 runs with the bat in 5 innings. But all eyes will be on their leading wicket-taker - Nosthush Kenjige who has 17 wickets at an economy of 4.28. He will be the bowler to watch out for.

Key Players: Monark Patel, Saurabh Netravalkar, Nosthush Kenjige.

United States of America Predicted Playing XI:

Andries Gous, Shayan Jahangir, Monank Patel (c & wk), Saiteja Mukkamalla, Milind Kumar, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Harmeet Singh, Jasdeep Singh, Nosthush Kenjige, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Saurabh Netravalkar.

Scotland Preview

Scotland has to win all their remaining games to top the group. They might need to bring a few players back into the team to make it happen. Charlie Tear will open the innings with Andrew Umeed. The duo scored an unbeaten opening partnership of 145 runs against the USA. Tear has 186 runs in 8 games while Ummed now has 120 in three. They should include Micheal English in the squad over Tear. English had scored a century on his debut against Namibia - the only game he played so far. Brandon McMullen will come at number three. He averages 28.14 in 9 games.

Skipper Ritchie Berrington will come in the middle with Michael Jones, Matthew Cross, and Michael Leask. Berrington has 247 runs in 8 games at an average of 61.75 - the highest among the regular Scottish batters. It will be interesting to see if George Munsey will be available for the selection. Mounsey is their leading run-scorer with 302 runs in 6 games. Leask who is an all-rounder hasn’t performed much with both bat and all. He has 6 wickets in 9 games.

Bradley Currie will lead the bowling attack with Brandon McMullen, Christopher Sole, and Mark Watt. Currie took four wickets for Scotland in their win against the USA. He is their leading wicket-taker with 13 wickets at an average of 13.92. He will be the bowler to watch out for. McCullen also has 11 wickets in 9 games with an economy of 3.56. The Scottish bowlers have performed better than the batters in this tournament.

Key Players: Andrew Umeed, Ritchie Berrington, Bradley Currie.

Scotland Predicted Playing XI:

Andrew Umeed, Charlie Tear, Brandon McMullen, Richie Berrington (c), Michael Jones, Matthew Cross (wk), Michael Leask, Mark Watt, Brad Wheal, Jack Jarvis, Bradley Currie.

Weather Conditions

The weather will be sunny. The temperature will range between 25 and 30. The wind will be flowing from the west at 10-15 kmh.  The stadium has been known for its batting-friendly pitches. Batsmen often enjoy good pace and bounce, making it conducive for stroke play. The ball tends to come onto the bat nicely, allowing for aggressive shots and high-scoring matches. 

As the game progresses and the pitch begins to wear, spinners can come into play. Mumbai's hot and humid conditions can cause the pitch to deteriorate, leading to assistance for spinners, particularly in the latter stages 

USA vs SCT Pitch Report

The 40th ODI of the series will be played at Prairie View Cricket Complex, Houston on 31st October at 9 pm. The venue has a capacity of 10,000 spectators and has hosted 7 ODIs, & 7 T20Is. The USA has recorded the highest total on the ground (328) against Oman.

Toss: To Bat

In 7 ODIs, the results have identically favored the teams chasing or defending the target on 3 occasions. The average first innings score is 238. The team winning the toss should bat first.