T20 World Cup: Martin Guptill's six-blitz earns New Zealand 16-run Super 12 win over Scotland
Opener strikes seven maximums in explosive 93 to propel New Zealand to 172-5 in Dubai despite fine spells from Safyaan Sharif (2-28) and Mark Watt (1-13); Guptill puts on 105 for fourth wicket with Glenn Phillips; Scotland reach 156-5 in reply as Michael Leask ends 42no off 20 balls
Wednesday 3 November 2021 15:41, UK
Martin Guptill's 93 off 56 balls dashed Scotland's hopes of earning a Super 12 shock as New Zealand won by 16 runs in the T20 World Cup clash in sweltering Dubai.
Scotland battled gamely for long periods of the contest but lost their third game in a row as they were undone by Guptill's 18th T20 international half-century, which featured seven sixes.
The knock helped steer the Black Caps from 52-3 to 172-5, with Glenn Phillips (33 off 37) playing his part in a fourth-wicket stand of 105, despite impressive spells from Safyaan Sharif (2-28) and Mark Watt (1-13 off four overs).
Scotland's top-order batters all got starts but they were all surpassed by number six Michael Leask, whose dashing 42no off 20 deliveries was spectacular without proving match-clinching.
The result keeps New Zealand right in the hunt for a semi-final berth thanks to their defeat of India, who now face a must-win Group 2 clash against Afghanistan.
New Zealand openers Guptill and Daryl Mitchell (13) eased their way to 35-0 off four overs before the impressive Sharif struck twice in five balls in his second over.
The bustling seamer built pressure well before beating Mitchell for pace to trap him lbw, and he then removed skipper Kane Williamson for a duck, courtesy of a tickle down the leg side.
Guptill became the second batsman after Virat Kohli to 3,000 T20 international runs by whipping Alasdair Evans off his pads for six, but the momentum stayed with Scotland as Watt continued his fine tournament - striking with his first ball as Devon Conway gloved a reverse sweep.
Watt combined well with Chris Greaves to keep the Black Caps under wraps, restricting the Kiwis to 70-3 off 10 overs with Phillips finding it particularly tough to get going.
A slog-swept maximum over long-on off Michael Leask helped - and Guptill followed suit, reaching his fifty off 35 balls by launching Greaves for his 150th career T20 maximum.
Phillips enjoyed a life on 20, shortly after the fifty stand came up off 39 balls, as Leask grassed a chance at deep midwicket. It looked costly as 50 runs flowed off overs 10-15, and the acceleration continued as Guptill despatched Sharif and Evans for a further six apiece.
The 100-run stand came up off 71 balls, but amid the carnage Watt completed a terrifically tight spell and Wheal helped tighten the screw by removing Phillips and Guptill in successive balls as they looked to clear the ropes.
Just 22 runs came off the last three overs as Scotland finished the innings as well as they began it, and the chase began positively too with captain Kyle Coetzer (17 off 11 balls) striking four boundaries before miscuing a knuckle ball from Trent Boult (2-29).
Matthew Cross (27 off 29) ended the powerplay in style, despatching Adam Milne for five consecutive boundaries, to propel the score to 48-1 off six overs.
The prospects of an upset grew as George Munsey (22 off 18) blasted Ish Sodhi (2-42) for consecutive sixes only to watch in disbelief as Tim Southee slid around the long on boundary to pouch a brilliant two-handed catch.
Munsey left shaking his head as did Cross, bowled middle stump by a super Southee (1-24) off-cutter and, despite a solid stand between Richard Berrington (20) and Calum MacLeod, Scotland were left needing 73 runs from 36 deliveries.
A fourth wicket fell when MacLeod walked across his stumps and was bowled by a pinpoint Boult yorker, and with the rate climbing to around 15 Berrington had no option but to chance his arm and miscued Sodhi straight up.
Leask went boundary-hunting in the 18th over, striking Sodhi for 16 off four balls to leave Scotland needing 39 off 12, and although he whacked Southee for his third six, the challenge of scoring 26 off the final over was simply too steep.
Greaves drove the last ball of the match for a single that brought up a 50-run stand for the sixth wicket in 4.2 overs, completing a competitive display.
Live coverage of the ICC T20 World Cup continues on Sky Sports Cricket.
