New Zealand has registered its second win of the tournament. After gaining a dominating victory against India last Sunday, the Kiwis won over Scotland tonight. But this wasn’t an easy victory as Scotland gave a tough fight and took the match till the last over. Though it was a tough contest, it was New Zealand that had the last laugh. They won the game by 16 runs.
Chasing a target of 173 is never easy, that too, on the pitches of the UAE. But Scotland gave a commendable effort. Right from the first over, they showed a lot of intent. The momentum was fizzled in the middle overs. If they scored well in those overs, Scotland would have won the match easily. On top of that, they also had wickets in hand. Meanwhile, the Kiwi bowlers should also be commended for holding nerves even after getting smacked in the initial overs. George Munsey (22) and Matthew Cross (27) contributed well during the first half of the innings. But it was Michael Leask (42* off 20 balls), who played a blistering knock in the end. But he came in too late and Scotland managed to end its innings at a score of 156/5.
After losing the toss, New Zealand was asked to bat first. Scotland got a good start by scalping the wickets of Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson and Devon Conway right in the first seven overs. Thus, New Zealand’s score was 52/3 after 6.1 overs. Even though wickets were falling on one side, Martin Guptill (93) kept on smashing Scottish bowlers on the other side. He got good support from Glenn Phillips (33). In the process, he scored a blistering half-century and looked set to make a century as well. But both Guptill and Phillips made a partnership of 105 runs for the fourth wicket. But the duo went back to the pavilion in consecutive balls. Hence, the Kiwis weren’t able to cross the 180 mark. After 20 overs, they scored 172/5.
Scotland will face India in its next match on November 5. On the flip side, New Zealand will take on Namibia on the same day.