T20 World Cup: New Zealand boost semis chance with win over Scotland

Martin Guptill. Pic/AP

New Zealand defeated Scotland by 16 runs in their Group 2 Super 12 fixture in the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

The Blackcaps racked up an impressive 172/5 first up on the back of Martin Guptill's power-packed 93. And in reply, Scotland never looked like chasing it down, finishing on 156/5, still 16 runs short. Chasing 173, Scotland lost their openers but ensured they didn't fall well behind as they reached 76/2 at the halfway point of their chase.

Matt Cross struck five fours in a row off Adam Milne to ease some pressure on Scotland. Tim Southee then removed Matthew Cross in the 11th over. Calum MacLeod and Richie Berrington went back to the dressing room in 15th and 16th over respectively as Scotland slumped to 106/5. In the end, Scotland fell short 16 runs
short of the target. Earlier batting first, Martin Guptill struck seven sixes in an astonishing 93 off 56 balls to lift New Zealand to 172/5 against Scotland.

Battling the Dubai afternoon heat, Guptill made the second-highest score of the tournament so far. A double-wicket over from Safyaan Sharif gave Scotland some hope after New Zealand got off to a flying start, but Guptill quickly snuffed out thoughts of a fightback.

Brief Scores: New Zealand 172/5 (Martin Guptill 93, Glenn Phillips 33'; Safyaan Sharif 2- 28, Brad Wheal 2-40) vs Scotland 156/5 (Michael Leask 42', Matthew Cross 27; Trent Boult 2-29, Ish Sodhi 2-42).

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