Key events
DROP CATCH! Oh no! David skies a slog that flies down to deep midwicket. Jones gets under it but can’t hold onto what wasn’t an easy catch, but t should have been held. They run through for two and just one is needed.
Single down the ground. 3 off 4.
Wheal to close out the match. His first ball is full and David takes an easy single down the ground. 4 needed off 5.
19th over: Australia 176-5 (David 14, Wade 3) The final ball is bashed down the ground but clips the umpire on the way. So it’s just a single. Five needed off the last over. Can Scotland hold on?
It’s a wide! Sharif misses his mark outside off and it’s 6 off 7.
We’re down to ball by ball commentary.
After a single, a two, a dot, and a single, David hoiks Sharif for a couple down to deep backward square. 7 needed off 7.
18th over: Australia 168-5 (David 11, Wade 0) It’s a horror show from Wheal who offers a short ball for David to pull for four. Then a beamer clips the thigh pad and runs away for four. Then another half-tracker is spanked for four on the off side. A single off a length ball means Australia now need 13 from 12 balls. Scotland need wickets to stem the flow of runs.
WICKET! Stoinis b Watt 59 (Australia 155-5)
Another twist! Stoinis had just smashed a straight four and then delicately collected another with a reverse scoop over the infield. He tried the same shot again but Watt fired it in flatter and fuller and beat Stoinis to knock his stumps over.
Australia need 26 from 18 with two new batters at the crease. Scotland are three overs away from the promised land.
17th over: Australia 155-5 (David 2, Wade 0)
16th over: Australia 145-4 (Stoinis 51, David 1) Sharif claims the crucial wicket of Head but he goes for 24 in that over. Three sixes to Head who was seemingly clearing the ropes at will. Then Stoinis gets his fourth T20I fifty as he helps a rank half-tracker to the boundary behind square on the off side.
36 needed from 24.
WICKET! Head c Jones b Sharif 68 (Australia 140-4)
Massive moment! Shariff was getting spanked. This over read 6-6-wide-6-WICKET!
It was starting to get ugly for Scotland for Head, searching for a fourth maximum, holed out at long-off after Sharif changed to round the wicket. That puts the game back in the balance just as Australia were taking control.
15th over: Australia 121-3 (Head 50, Stoinis 47) Another decent haul for Australia. 11 off that Sole over thanks to consecutive boundaries for Stoinus. His first was clobbered down the ground with the second a fortunate outside edge that whizzed past the ‘keeper. A single down the ground for Head brings him a half century that he barely acknowledges.
Australia have shifted gears. If I had to take a punt I’d back them to get there. Feels like momentum is with them now. But a wicket would change things.
That’s absolutely the correct emoji:
How’s everyone feeling? 😬
— Cricket Scotland (@CricketScotland) June 16, 2024
14th over: Australia 110-3 (Head 48, Stoinis 38) Australia needed a big over and thanks to Stoinis they got one. Back to back sixes – first a reverse sweep/scoop and the other a mighty drive down the ground – were followed by a reverse sweep for four. Leask closes his four overs with 0-39. 71 runs needed off 36 balls.
13th over: Australia 92-3 (Head 47, Stoinis 21) The required rate is now up to 12. Only six runs from this over despite Stoinis smoking a cover drive to the boundary. Australia have to get a move on now.
12th over: Australia 86-3 (Head 46, Stoinis) Another top over from Scotland. New bowler Greaves gives away just four singles as the required rate climbs to 11.87.
Scotland have earned their flowers.
Whatever happens in the final 10 overs here Scotland have been superb at this T20 World Cup:
– Rained off defending 108 in 10 overs against England
– Clinical chases against Namibia and Oman
– Right on top against Australia in St Lucia— Matt Roller (@mroller98) June 16, 2024
11th over: Australia 82-3 (Head 44, Stoinis 14) Head hits it as hard as anyone I’ve seen and a crunching cut shot explodes off his bat. But Sharif, back into the attack, holds his nerve and finds a better length, restricting the rest of the over to just three singles off the bat and one wide.
Australia need over 10 an over to win it. They’re currently going at 7.5.
But Head is still there and the pitch is still a belter. It’s all in the balance.
10th over: Australia 74-3 (Head 39, Stoinis 12) Another good over from a Scottish spinner. Stoinis started it with a boundary from a delicate revere sweep, but Leask came back well. Extra bounce and a bit of turn almost caught the outside edge of the right hander as Stoinis was jabbing at it from his crease.
9th over: Australia 67-3 (Head 38, Stoinis 6) Watt pulled a Stuart Broad celebration after the Maxwell wicket – wide eyes, hand over his mouth in disbelief. Stoinis’ first ball was cut away past Leask who should have done better at backward point and the burly all-rounder collected a boundary. Four singles elsewhere in the piece keeps Scotland on top.
WICKET! Maxwell b Watt 11 (Australia 60-3)
JAFFA! An absolute peach! What a ripper!
My goodness this is a brilliant delivery. Watt, back into the attack, lands it on a good length and turns Maxwell inside out as he beats the outside edge and takes the off stump. Round the wicket, straightening off the deck and hitting the top of off. That’s a game changing ball.
8th over: Australia 59-2 (Head 36, Maxwell 11) Leask is back into the attack and almost gets a wicket with a half-tracker. Head goes back to play it but almost gets dragged into spooning it straight to cover. Fortunately fo the Aussie it’s wide of the diving fielder.
Maxwell – of course in a cap – joins the party with a stiff six down the ground.
7th over: Australia 47-2 (Head 33, Maxwell 2) This isn’t over while Head is at the crease. He’s taken six off the target with a carved cut shot that screamed over the backward point rope. A wide from Sole, a couple clipped off Head’s pads and a single for each batter has this chase back on track.
6th over: Australia 36-2 (Head 24, Maxwell 1) Fantastic over from Sharif who grabs a wicket and concedes just two runs. Scotland were 54-1 from their powerplay and have kept the Aussies on a leash so far. Things are starting to look dicey for Australia (and England).
WICKET! Marsh c Tear b Sharif 8 (Australia 34-2)
The skipper goes! Sharif, into the attack, gets a wicket with his first ball and lets out a mighty roar. Dug in, Marsh goes back to pull but can’t get the elevation needed to beat the fielder in the deep. I think that was a trap given the direction of the stiff breeze. Scotland are on top!
5th over: Australia 32-1 (Head 23, Marsh 8) Head is dropped! it would have been a screamer from Jones who had to run back and track the ball in the swirling wind as it descended from high. But it is a drop. Head then popped Sole down the ground for a well-timed four and the Aussie pair added seven more runs along the way.
In an email titled ‘Quiet parts loud’, reader John Atkinson has come off a long run up:
Hi Daniel
Australia have left out 2 key fast bowlers.
They have let Scotland score 180 in a tournament where the average is below 150.
They have dropped 6 catches.
They’ve now scored 3 runs in 2 overs of a powerplay.
How many coincidences do we need?This is not a country that loses if it wants to win – see Maxwell vs Afghanistan.
No sign at all of that energy today
I agree. They’ve been flat. But I won’t accept that they aren’t trying to win. They’re competitive animals and one of the best teams on the planet. The USA beat Pakistan. Nepal almost beat South Africa. This is a very good Scotland team. Australia, having already qualified for the next round, are perhaps not thrumming with the same intensity.
4th over: Australia 23-1 (Head 15, Marsh 5) Head is underway. The extra pace from Wheal means he can rock back and scythe a lovely cut shot behind square for four. Then he rocks back and unfurls a beautiful pick-up pull that almost goes for six. If he gets going this will be a pedestrian chase.
3rd over: Australia 14-1 (Head 7, Marsh 4) Not a good over from Watt who couldn’t find his length. Twice he dragged down and twice he was knocked to the boundary. Marsh first, with a pull up and over midwicket. Then Head who popped one off the back foot through the off side.
2nd over: Australia 3-1 (Head 1, Marsh 0) Just a leg bye from Wheal first over means he opens with a wicket maiden and the big prize of David Warner. Astonishing. Long way to go but Scotland will start believing.
WICKET! Warner c Berrington b Wheal 1 (Australia 2-1)
Now then! That is a big fish and Scotland are in dreamland. Wheal, who has serious wheels through the air, had Warner in a tangle from his first ball, swining oit back in and thudding his thigh pad. His second ball is pushed slightly wider and Warner plays an ugly agricultural hack that skies into the off-side and Berrington pouches it. Not sure what Warner was trying to do. Scotland won’t care. They’re up and running.
1st over: Australia 2-0 (Head 1, Warner 1) Neat start from Leask. Flat and fast through the air, he’s pushing back both lefty openers and conceding a single to each of them. So far so good for Scotland.
We’re back! Leask with the ball to skid in some finger spin to Head and Warner. A massive 20 overs coming up.
A reminder that if Scotland win they’ll knock England out.
Andrew Benton reckons that’s giving them a lift: “I’ll bet Scotland are getting extra oomph by the possibility of keeping the auld enemy out of the later stages. Serious motivation there.
While Paddy is saying the quiet part out loud: “You have to be suspicious when Australia leave out their two best fast bowlers surely?”
For what it’s worth, I just think one team is playing at their apex and the other is not.
Six! That’s insane!
Six dropped chances in the field for Australia tonight so far, they’ll be frustrated given how strong that aspect of their game is.
— Henry Moeran (@henrymoeranBBC) June 16, 2024
Good thing the Scots aren’t playing Germany. As John Catchlove from Melbourne points out:
Scotland might have a rubbish football team, but their cricketers are right up there.
Scotland were great, but that was a largely shoddy show from Australia in the field.
Brian Withington agrees:
Hi Daniel
All credit to Scotland but I can’t recall a sloppier, lower energy performance from Australia. Maybe that’s because I rarely watch them against the associate countries, but they fully deserve to lose this by a distance at the moment.
Scotland set 180-5
That’s a decent haul and one Scotland will back themselves to defend. Their innings lost some momentum over the last five overs, but thanks to a brilliant knock from McMullen, Scotland have their highest score in a T20 World Cup game.
Ellis conceded two wides in his final over but did well to restrict Greaves and Berrington to scampered singles and two. His bagged 1-34 from his four overs.