England will have watched on with trepidation as Scotland produced a spirited performance in St Lucia against Australia but the serial World Cup winners had enough firepower at their disposal to overcome an indifferent fielding performance and clinch victory. By virtue of ensuring a 100 percent record in the Group stages, Australia took their Ashes rivals and defending champions along with them to the Super 8 phase. Set 181 for victory after a blazing half-century from Brandon McMullen, Australia found themselves in a spot of bother at the half-way mark of their chase but Marcus Stoinis and Travis Head slammed half-centuries and put on 80 for the fourth-wicket off just 44 balls to take their team over the line.
What was the difference: Death Overs
At 138/4 after 15 overs, Scotland were on course to get to 200 or thereabouts but after batting very well in the first two phases of the game, they lost their way at the death, managing only 42 runs. That meant Australia, who opted to bowl, were chasing a slightly sub-par total on one of the rare surfaces that encouraged hitting through the line.
| Death Overs | Namibia | Australia |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 42/1 | 65/2 |
| Run Rate | 8.4 | 13.92 |
| 4s/6s | 0/2 | 6/4 |
Scotland
PowerPlay: Munsey, McMullen make flying start
Phase Score: 54/1 (RR: 9.00, 4s/6s: 3/4)
Ashton Agar, playing his first game of the World Cup, struck in the first over when he had Michael Jones playing on to a delivery that came in with the arm. Scotland overcame that early setback emphatically as Brandon McMullen and George Munsey led a thrilling counter. The first boundary of the innings was hit only in the third over as McMullen leant into a lofted drive over cover for six. He struck another six off the fourth over bowled by Mitchell Starc, lifting Scotland’s scoring rate above six for the first time. Both openers were beneficiaries of half chances going their way as Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head couldn’t hold on to two tough grabs. The batters made most of the reprieves, plundering 29 from the final two PowerPlay overs with the left-handed Munsey hitting Glenn Maxwell for a pair of sixes and a four, which included a switch-hit into the stands behind cover.
Middle Overs: McMullen scores the second-fastest half-century of this World Cup
Phase Score: 84/3 (RR: 9.33, 4s/6s: 3/6)
McMullen continued to maintain Scotland’s brisk tempo even against the spread-out field. The game was essentially about using the wind as a tactical tool along with the lopsided dimensions. McMullen was particularly excellent while hitting the spinners straight in the ‘v’, getting his timing right even when forced to hit against the wind from one end. The in-form Adam Zampa was launched for a six over long-off and then cut away past backward point for four. In the next over, McMullen got on one knee to slog sweep Agar for a six and then hit against the wind to clear the ropes beyond extra cover. He got to his half-century off 26 balls – the second-fastest of the tournament.
Munsey tried to keep pace by sweeping Maxwell for a six before the offspinner tossed the next ball wide of off stump, forcing Munsey (35 off 23) to drag his sweep straight to deep midwicket. The end of the 89-run stand was followed by Zampa slipping in a quiet four-run over. McMullen’s stunning 34-ball knock for 60 then ended soon after he struck his sixth maximum as he could only manage an edge with an attempted swipe and was caught at short third-man.
Death Overs: Berrington adds heft to total but Australia keep a lid on the hitting
Phase Score: 42/1 (RR: 8.4, 4s/6s: 0/2)
Australia, who had an iffy day on the field with as many as six half-chances put down, produced five excellent overs at the death even though the first ball of the 16th – from Agar – was hit for six by Richie Berrington. Fast bowlers, Ellis and Starc, executed their wide lines to good effect as Scotland found no boundaries in overs 17, 19 and 20. Berrington though scored a useful 42 to push the total to 180.
Australia
PowerPlay: Warner, Marsh fall in sluggish start to chase
Phase Score: 36/2 (RR: 6.00, 4s/6s: 5/0)
Australia suffered an early setback in chase after Michael Leask bowled a two-run opening over. In the second, David Warner was very early into his drive against Brad Wheal’s cross-seam delivery and Berrington settled under the skier. After two overs, Australia were 3 for 1 and even though they managed four boundaries in the next two overs, they were still going at under a run-a-ball. Michael Jones put down a tough catch against Head when the batter was on 17 but Safyaan Sharif struck in the final over of the PowerPlay to dismiss Marsh, who hit a short ball straight to deep mid-wicket.
Middle Overs: Stoinis, Head up the ante
Phase Score: 85/1 (RR: 9.44, 4s/6s: 7/4)
The post-PowerPlay period began with a fierce square cut from Head that sailed with the wind for six but Scotland stayed ahead when Mark Watt spun one viciously past Glenn Maxwell’s defence to clean up the big hitter. It brought Stoinis to the middle, who injected much-needed momentum into the innings by hitting two fours off the first three balls faced. This included a reverse-sweep, a shot he would repeatedly execute with devastating effect. Scotland kept things tight and pushed Australia to a position where they needed to get 89 from the final seven overs. The tide turned in the 14th over and did so rather dramatically as Stoinis went 6, 6 and 4 against Michael Leask with a powerful hit down the ground sandwiched by two reverse sweeps. Stoinis found two more boundaries in the next over to race away to 47 off 24 and bring the equation down to 60 from the final five overs.
Death Overs: Scotland can’t withstand Australia’s power
Phase Score: 65/2 (RR: 13.92, 4s/6s: 6/4)
Head played a strangely subdued hand in the partnership, getting to his half-century off 45 balls. But three sixes in the 16th over bowled by Sharif effectively signalled the irreversible change of the two teams’ fortunes. Head fell for a 49-ball 68 attempting a fourth six in the over. Stoinis then struck three more fours before finally missing a reverse-sweep to be bowled for a 29-ball 59. It was a late consolation for Scotland, whose dream had wilted by then.
Brief scores: Scotland 180/5 in 20 overs (Brandon McMullen 60, Richie Berrington 42*; Adam Zampa 1-30) lost to Australia 186/5 in 19.4 overs (Travis Head 68, Marcus Stoinis 59; Mark Watt 2-34) by five wickets
What next for the teams?
Australia will have a four-day gap before they play their first Super-8 game on June 20 in Antigua. They’ll meet one of Bangladesh or Netherlands in that clash. Scotland have crashed out of the tournament on Net Run Rate.
