The past few league games have been thrilling because not many big teams depended on the outcome of other games to help them advance to the Super Eight stages. Similarly, on Sunday, June 16, at the famed Daren Sammy Stadium in St. Lucia, Scotland (SCO) and Australia (AUS) squared off in Match 35 of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024.
Notably, the powerful Australians chose to start the game against the European team before losing the toss. At one point, though, the choice appeared to have changed the course of events as Scotland recovered from an early wicket loss to score 91 runs in only 48 balls thanks to a stand of 35 runs off 23 balls and 60 runs off 34 balls by George Munsey and Brandon McMullen. Scotland then posted their highest-ever total of 180/5 on the board with to a crucial undefeated contribution from captain Richie Berrington (42* off 31 balls).
Australia’s response faltered after losing three crucial top order batsmen, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, and David Warner, for 60 runs in the ninth over. To try to end the game early, opener Travis Head was dismissed after putting up an 80-run stand with all-rounder Marcus Stoinis (68 off 49 balls). Once again, Stoinis came to the Australians’ rescue. Ultimately, Tim David provided the icing on the cake with an undefeated, potent cameo (24* off 14 balls) that saw Australia win by five wickets.
Because England’s run rate is higher than Scotland’s, they qualify.
Remarkably, England was the happiest team following the outcome of the Scotland vs Australia match since they had a higher Net Run Rate (NRR) than Scotland and were assisted by the Men in Yellow to advance to the Super Eight stage of the T20 World Cup 2024.
Also read: Mark Wood responds to Josh Hazlewood’s “knockout” comment by saying, “I’m confident they’ll play the Australian way.”
Marcus Stoinis, Player of the Match:
“The plan was to get yourself in and hit it hard along the ground. And then access from there. There’s a strong breeze, which meant that end was easier to hit from. The pitch was also very good. Head picked his bowlers and pretty much turned the game in that over with three sixes even though he got out. I have been fortunate to play consistently for the last 3-4 months starting with the IPL but there’s no substitute for confidence. That’s the recipe we all try to keep a hold of.”
Richie Berrington, Losing Captain:
“I thought we were in a pretty good position at the halfway mark. Unfortunately we couldn’t capitalise towards the end. We had a really good start with the ball but we couldn’t execute it for long enough. A few big overs towards the back end got them back into the game. There was a breeze at the ground, so we were just trying to get them hit away from the breeze. I think the guys can hold their head high. We played some really good cricket throughout the tournament. It was a great learning for us. Obviously we are a bit disappointed given the position we were in. We came here to qualify but couldn’t do that.”
Mitchell Marsh, Winning Captain:
“We spoke about sticking to our game. Scotland are a pretty good outfit and have improved a lot in the last few years. We spoke as a group to stay really consistent in how we want to play. Having already qualified, there was little less pressure on us. The World Cup kind of starts again now. It’s going to be a busy schedule. T20 is a hard format. We are excited for what’s to come. [On chat about England] I think more externally than internally.”
India
