Head coach Brendon McCullum had an informal chat with Cricket Association of Bengal president Sourav Ganguly, his old teammate at Kolkata Knight Riders, towards the end of England’s training at the Eden on Friday.

McCullum appeared relaxed, but can his team afford to be? Particularly, following their defeat to the West Indies and a narrow escape against Associate side Nepal.

With Zimbabwe stunning Australia in Colombo on Friday, England have all the more reasons to be wary of Scotland when they take the field here on Saturday. As
for the Scots, they are certainly ready to go the extra mile to sting the English.

Scotland are also ahead of the two-time champions on net run rate in Group C. While Scotland are second with 0.950, England (-0.650) are just above bottom-placed Nepal.

The Richie Berrington-led side, who have nothing to lose following their last-minute entry in the tournament, have a pretty decent opportunity of taking advantage
of England’s position and scripting something sensational at the Eden.

Calcutta is not new to the countries’ sporting rivalry, having hosted a few of their rugby matches in the 1870s.

But, for England, set to go with the same XI that had lost to the Windies on Wednesday, the time has come to “put a stamp on the game” if they are to go deep in the tournament.

“We have the opportunity to go out and play with some personality and express ourselves, because when we do that, sides can’t live with us. We know that much,” opener Phil Salt said on Friday.

“But it’s about actually bringing it to that night and in that moment where you’ve got a decision to make, taking the positive option with your chest out and putting a stamp on the game. And if we want to go deep in this World Cup, we have to do exactly that.”

England cannot be happier if Salt gives them an ideal start and blazes away on Saturday. Harry Brook and Co. can certainly pick Salt’s brain regarding the Eden pitch as the top-order batter has a decent amount of knowledge of the conditions, thanks to his stint with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL.

“Mainly, it’s a new-ball wicket and the Powerplays are crucial here,” Salt said.

Gambhir role

The training style of India head coach Gautam Gambhir, when he was KKR mentor, was quite helpful for Salt’s batting during his time with the franchise in 2024.

“When I was here, GG was quite big on me giving me a few balls that didn’t necessarily mean standing there and blocking the first six. It meant being really, really smart. It was actually a big part of me getting better as a player,” Salt emphasised.