Watt a performance! Scotland captain praises spin sensation who tied West Indies in knots
After posting 160/5 in their 20 overs, built on the foundation of an unbeaten 66* from opener George Munsey, Scotland turned the screw with the ball.
It was through the middle overs where West Indies’ run-chase fell apart, as the Group B favourites slipped from 53/1 to 102/9.
All-rounder Michael Leask picked up two handy wickets, but it was Watt who heaped the pressure on, taking three for just 12 runs in his four overs.
“He's a big character in our dressing room, a great team man,” captain Richie Berrington said after Watt’s heroics. “He's made for the big occasion.
“Although he's still young, he's done it for a number of years for us now. And he's certainly someone that I feel I can throw the ball to in big moments. He tends to deliver and get big wickets, it's certainly a strength of his.
“I have no doubt you will see plenty more of him. I think he's been a key player for us for a long period of time now, even though he is still quite young. But he's a really experienced part of our group. And I'm sure he'll go from strength to strength from here.”
It wasn’t just the quality of Watt’s bowling that stood out, but the variations that he utilised were also particularly eye-catching.
All three of Watt’s wickets came from deliveries bowled from 24 yards, a quirk that his captain revealed is a regular feature of his game.
“It's something that worked really well for him, something he's sort of mastered over the last couple of years,” Berrington said. “It can just throw you off a little bit.
“Yeah, he's a clever cricketer, he's always looking for different ways to get the batter out. That’s certainly one that works for him.”
And Watt’s display also featured the slightly unusual sight of a player looking at hand-written notes during a bowling spell.
When asked what the notes contained, Berrington shed little light on the matter.
“You'll probably have to ask him that one,” the skipper said, side-stepping the question. “I'm not even sure it was anything to do with cricket, to be honest.
“As I say, he's on top of his game and he's always looking to stay ahead and find different ways to see what the batters are trying to do. I'm sure he had a few notes on there just to remind himself of who he was coming up against and what he was looking to do.”
Watt subsequently took to social media to ‘reveal’ what was on his slip of paper…
Oh and this is my notes pic.twitter.com/MlOnCCXpSv
— mark watt (@markwatt123) October 17, 2022
Four overs, 3/12, an economy of 3.0, conceding just one solitary boundary, and delivering the comedic moment of the World Cup so far – Mark Watt is a player to watch as Group B progresses.