After pulling off a memorable win over Bangladesh in the T20WC opener, Scotland defeated Papua New Guinea in Group B by 17 runs after a decent all-round performance against their Oceanic rivals. PNG did put the Scots under pressure at certain stages but they were largely the second-best side on show.
Opting to bat first after winning the toss, Scotland got off to a shaky start, losing both their openers George Munsey (15) and skipper Kyle Coetzer (6) inside the first four overs of the powerplay.
Jolted by a couple of quick blows at that stage, they got back on their feet via a fantastic partnership between Matthew Cross (45) and Richie Berrington (70), who have managed to put on 92 runs for the third wicket at a brisk pace.
Berrington, considered by many as Scotland’s most robust player, recorded a well-deserved half-century. The Cross-Berrington stand was flourishing against both PNG pacers and spinners and were threatening to take the game completely away from the opposition.
However, just then Scotland lost a flurry of wickets. They went from looking like getting a score in excess of 180-190 to finishing at 165/9. One Cross, and soon Calum Macleod (10) fell, Berrington & co tried to fetch as many as they could towards the end of the innings. But they lost their wickets in the process, as Guinean bowlers got the execution right on a dry surface in Oman.
Kabua Morea (4/31) and Chad Soper (3/27) shared seven wickets between them, while Simon Atai (1/20) bowled an economical spell.
After triggering a collapse at the death, PNG had the momentum with them heading into the run-chase. But their longstanding issues with the bat held their reach back, as they themselves collapsed 35/5 inside the powerplay, which soon became 67/6.
Only skipper Assad Vala (18) and Sese Bau (24) showed some fight within the top six for PNG and that made a Scotland victory imminent. But in a late twist, Norman Vanua led a fantastic counter-attack from his side, scoring 47 off 37 balls and suddenly putting the Scottish bowlers under pressure. Kiplin Doriga (18) and Soper (16) also hit a few lusty blows. But ultimately, the PNG hopes were crushed, and they were dismissed for 148.
Brief scores
Scotland 165/9 in 20 overs (Berrington 70, Cross 45; Monea 4/31) beat Papua New Guinea 148/10 in 20 overs (Vanua 47, Bau 24; Davey 4/18) by 17 runs
