Group D reached a new gear in Chennai, as the Black Caps continued their march towards the Super Eight stage. They famously exited in the group stage at the last edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup two years ago but course corrected, sealing qualification with a win over Canada.Zimbabwe confirmed their place in the Super Eights after their Groub B clash against Ireland in Kandy was washed out. Scotland are facing off against Nepal in Tuesday’s evening match.
Scotland v Nepal
Dipendra Singh Airee scored a monumental half-century to guide Nepal past the finish line in Mumbai, sealing their first win at the T20 World Cup since 2014.
For Scotland, Michael Leask broke the opening partnership between Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh to bring Scotland back into the game. The opening duo had added 74 runs off 9.1 overs before Leask managed to induce a miscued shot off Bhurtel (43).
Leask then nabbed another wicket in his opening burst, getting the better of Aasif Sheikh with 94 runs on the board.
Earlier, after restricted Scotland for 170/7, Nepal had begun their chase at the Wankhede Stadium, finding early boundaries in the powerplay. Openers Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh had amassed 56 runs in the first six overs to ease their side into the chase.
Both teams are looking to end their campaign on a winning note, having been pushed out of Super Eight contention.Put into bat, Scotland started strong, racing to 52/0 in powerplay. But medium-pacer Sompal Kami engineered a Nepal recovery in the last five overs.
Though they lost captain George Munsey for 27, Scotland kept up the scoring rate, piling 131/1 in 15 overs. Michael Jones kept Scotland on the offensive for most part with a standout innings of 71 off 45 balls, with the help of eight fours and three sixes.Just when Scotland looked like they were going up a gear, the experienced Kami pegged them back with two wickets in the 16th over. After castling Jones, Kami plucked an superb return catch to pack off Brandon McMullen (25). Momentum was now with Nepal, and their bowlers, buoyed by the support at the Wankhede, pulled the rug from under Scotland in the slog overs.In the last five overs, Scotland scored 39 runs and lost six wickets. Kami finished with 3/25 in his four overs.
Ireland v ZimbabweZimbabwe became the latest team to advance to the Super Eight after their match against Ireland in Kandy was washed out.Zimbabwe became the second team from Group B to go through, which means Australia are now out of contention for the next stage. After splitting points with Ireland on Tuesday, Zimbabwe has five points from three matches while Australia has only two and will not be able to catch up to Sikandar Raza’s team even if they win the final group game against Oman on Friday.
New Zealand race to eight-wicket over CanadaScorecardChasing 174 in Chennai, New Zealand stumbled early, as both openers fell inside the first four overs. But Glenn Phillips and Rachin Ravindra have steadied the ship and steered New Zealand to a Super Eight slot.After stumbling to 60/2 in powerplay, New Zealand coasted to victory with 176/2 in 15.1 overs. With three wins in four matches, New Zealand became the second team to qualify through Group D.Phillips has taken the charge to the Canadian bowlers, bringing up his half-century in just 22 balls with a huge heave over deep mid-wicket. Ravindra played more of an anchor role, took New Zealand past the finish line with a four. He finished at unbeaten 59 while Phillips was 76 not out, off 36 balls with the help of four fours and six sixes
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