Following a narrow defeat against Australia, heartbroken Scotland captain Richie Berrington expressed his ‘disappointment’ over losing the crucial game in St Lucia.
Scotland was scheduled to face Australia to play the 35th match of the 2024 T20 World Cup on June 16 in Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia. Scotland was in need of winning the game in order to secure their Super 8 spot but failed miserably.
With the defeat, Scotland was kicked out of the tournament while England qualified for the Super 8 round along with Australia from Group B.
During the post-match presentation, Scotland captain Richie Berrington said “I thought we were in a good position. We were in a great position for the first 10 overs We had a really good start but it was a good wicket and we should have executed a bit better with the bat. They have a few good strikers in their team and they managed to pull it back at the back end”.
“There is a bit of breeze on this ground, so we were trying to make them hit away from the crease. A few overs we didn’t nail, and they capitalised. We were expecting a bit more with the bat after the position we got ourselves in, but all the guys can hold their head up high”.
“A fantastic knock from Travis Head and then Stoinis. We are disappointed but this is a great learning for us”, Richie Berrington added.
Speaking on the match, Australia won the toss and opted to bowl first where George Munsey and Michael Jones opened the inning for Scotland. In the very first over, Ashton Agar dismissed M Jones and made the early breakthrough.
Following his dismissal, Brandon McMullen and George Munsey executed a steady inning against the aggressive Australian pace attack. The duo added 89 runs for the second wicket and moved Australia to a safer spot.
Maxwell broke the partnership by dismissing George Munsey for 35 runs and relieved Australia from the pressure. At the end of 10 overs, Scotland scored 96 runs for 2 wickets. McMullen who scored the fastest fifty for Scotland in T20 World Cups threatened the Australian bowlers from one end.
Adam Zampa in the 12th over dismissed dangerous McMullen for 60 and brought Australia back into the game. In the 15th over, Maxwell struck again and dismissed Cross for 18 runs and slowed down the run flow. At the end of 15 overs, Scotland scored 138 runs for 4 wickets.
#GlennMaxwell with an important breakthrough for Australia☝🏾
Will Australia apply pressure after Munsey’s departure?#AUSvSCO | LIVE NOW | #T20WorldCupOnStar pic.twitter.com/q3IpUKCvrQ
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) June 16, 2024
With Berrington’s unbeaten 42, Scotland managed to score 180 runs for 5 wickets loss at the end of 20 overs.
While chasing, after losing an early wicket, Australia made a steady inning. David Warner, Mitchell Marsh and Glenn Maxwell returned cheaply while Australia scored just 74 runs for 3 wickets loss at the end of 10 overs.
Travis Head and Marcus Stoinis built an 80-run stand for the fourth wicket and pushed Australia towards a safer zone. Safyaan Sharif broke the partnership by dismissing Head for 68 runs in the 16th over.
Marcus Stoinis’ 29 balls 59 which comes at a strike rate of 203.45 fueled Australia’s successful chase. Though Stoinis lost his wicket in the 17th over, his aggressive inning made a great impact on the scoreboard.
Tim David’s handy 24 off 14 helped Australia chase down the target with a couple of deliveries left to bowl.
#TimDavid with the 6️⃣ to seal the win!🇦🇺#MarcusStoinis & #TravisHead star in Australia’s 5-wicket win against Scotland which also ensures England’s qualification to Super 8.🔥
Valiant effort from Scotland as they lose out on Super 8 spot due to inferior net run rate 💔… pic.twitter.com/pLsIik69fC
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) June 16, 2024
Australia will play their first Super 8 match of the tournament against the team finishing second in Group D(Bangladesh or Netherlands)on June 20 in Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua.
