HOBART, Oct 17:
Scotland dished out a perfect all-round display to stun two-time champions West Indies by 42 runs in a rain-interrupted Group B fixture of the T20 World Cup here on Monday.
Invited to bat, Scotland put on a challenging 160 for five on the back of opener George Munsey’s sparkling unbeaten 66 off 53 balls, which was studded with nine fours.
The Scots then defended the total in style as West Indies, the most successful side in the T20 World Cup, looked a shadow of their past and folded for 118 in 18.3 overs.
West Indies now must win their next match against Zimbabwe on Wednesday to remain in contention for the Super 12 stage.
The Richie Berrington-led side, on the other hand, need a win against European rivals Ireland to qualify for the Super 12 stage.
“We haven’t had as many T20 games as we would have liked but have played a lot of 50-overs cricket. It was about transferring those skills to the short form,” Berrington said.
Hailing their spinners effort, he added: “They have done it for us in key moments. Watt started off well and always picks up the key wickets. Leask bowled his fours over well on the trot, too.”
Disappointed at the loss, Windies skipper Nicholas Pooran said: “We have to work hard and win two games. We have to take accountability and responsibility.”
A 20-minute rain stoppage also aided Scotland’s cause as the conditions become slower at the at Bellerive Oval.
Left-arm spinner Mark Watt opened the bowling and returned with match-winning figures of 4-0-12-3, while off-spinner Michael Leask also bowled a tidy 2/15 from his full quota of overs.
Chasing a target of 161 on slow conditions proved to be a tall task for the Pooran-led side that did not have much depth and missed the big-hitting Shimron Hetmyer in the middle.
Opener Kyle Mayers gave the Windies a perfect start — 20 off 13 balls with three fours and one six. But a superb running catch by Scotland’s batting star Munsey at deep midwicket brought an end to to the fiery start inside the third over.
The other Windies opener Brandon King (17 off 15 balls) also perished inside the power-play exposing the Windies batting depth early on.
Meanwhile, in the second Group B match at the Bellerive Oval, Sikandar Raza smashed a 48-ball 82 as Zimbabwe defeated Ireland by 31 runs on their return to the T20 World Cup after 2016.
Raza hogged the limelight with his explosive half century as he lifted his side from 37 for 3 to an imposing 174/7.
Ireland were never in the hunt in their chase and ended at 143 for 9 with the off-spin all-rounder Raza also grabbing one wicket. He finished with figures of 3-0-22-1.
Put in to bat, Zimbabwe skipper Craig Ervine got out for nine, while his opening partner Regis Chakabva (0) lasted just two balls.
Zimbabwe innings looked in disarray after Wessly Madhevere (22) became the third batter to be dismissed inside the powerplay.
But thereafter, it was Raza show as he raced to his first World Cup fifty in 26 balls. He carried the momentum forward before he was bowled off the final ball of Zimbabwe innings. He hit five sixes and five boundaries. (PTI)
That he contributed 82 runs after facing 48 balls, while the rest of his batting colleagues made 80 from 72 deliveries summed up the impact Raza had on Zimbabwe innings.
For Raza, this was his third successive T20I fifty, and fifth overall, this year. He has scored 598 runs from 16 innings this year at an average of 42.71.
“The goal we brought was to get into the Super 12 and take some of the big teams and see where we go. So to have this victory today is certainly humbling, exciting and happy as well,” Raza said.
“But for me, once the team chat is done, I wouldn’t be celebrating this victory. It’s done, it’s in the past. We have a very tough game against the Caribbean boys in 48 hours’ time and that’s what I’m looking forward to now,” he added. (PTI)
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