At the end of a tense night in St Lucia it was a team on another Caribbean island who were the most relieved. Watching events unfold from Antigua, Jos Buttler and his players saw their place in the Super Eight phase of the men’s T20 World Cup booked by rivals Australia beating Scotland with two balls to spare.
A Scottish victory would not only have secured their first appearance in the last eight of a global men’s tournament but also stuck England, the defending champions, on the first flight home. And when Richie Berrington’s side racked up 180 for five from their 20 overs thanks to Brandon McMullen’s sweetly-struck 34-ball 60, this shot at history very much loomed into view.
But despite an early wobble from Australia, their place in the Super Eights already assured, the cool heads of Travis Head, 68 from 49 balls, and Marcus Stoinis, 59 from 29, broke the back of the chase in calculated fashion before Tim David, 24 not out, finished the job. It meant Scotland had finished level with England on five points in Group B and yet been nudged out of the top two on net run-rate.
“I think the guys can hold their heads high,” said Berrington afterwards, his Scotland side having topped the group at one stage by following the washout with England by beating Namibia and Oman. “We played some really good cricket throughout the tournament. It was a great learning for us.”
That form had rolled into this match, Scotland recording their highest total in men’s T20 World Cups and the highest total that Australia have conceded against an associate nation. Having dodged the rain to record an all-important 41-run victory over Namibia earlier in the day, Buttler’s men must have been jittery.
Australia were playing chiefly for pride and momentum, with the split of two Super Eights groups based on tournament seedings rather than first round positions, and net run-rate not carried through. They had also flagged beforehand that frontline players may well be rested players with an eye on the latter stages.
It was Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins who took the breather here, leaving Mitchell Starc and Nathan Ellis as the only frontline seamers in the attack. And Mitch Marsh’s side were not exactly sharp in the field either, putting down six chances of varying difficulty, including three off successive deliveries.
But kickstarted by opener George Munsey’s 23-ball 35, Scotland were rewarded for their bravery, hitting well with the wind on a good batting surface and clearing the rope 12 times. Half of these came from McMullen’s bat as the total raced to 111 for three in 11 overs, while Berrington shored up the second half of the innings by compiling an unbeaten 42 from 31 balls.
Hopes of a famous Scottish win were raised further when David Warner skied his fourth ball off Brad Wheal in the chase, a strike further compounded by Marsh holing out for eight off Safyaan Sharif inside the power play. When Glenn Maxwell was cleaned up on 11 by a ripping delivery from spinner Mark Watt, Australia were 60 for three from 8.2 overs, still 121 runs short of their target.
All the while Head had been playing himself in, however, with the arrival of the in-form Stoinis prompting a game-changing partnership of 80 from just 44 balls. Both men perished in the final stages before David, dropped by Chris Sole in the final over with just three runs required, closed things out with a mighty six. England, doubtless frazzled by the day’s events, could finally hit the pillow.
They now meet West Indies, South Africa and the surprise package, USA, in the Super Eight phase that sets up the four semi-finalists, while Australia will be grouped with India, Afghanistan and one of either Bangladesh or Netherlands.
