Scotland boosted their chances of qualifying for the second round of the T20 Cricket World Cup on Sunday after beating Oman by seven wickets in Antigua to move to the top of Group B.
Brandon McMullen’s unbeaten 61 balls of just 31 gave Scotland victory with almost seven overs to spare and the Scots finished on 153-3 in 13.1 overs to take Oman’s total to 150-7.
“I was very happy to get the win for the team,” McMullen said. He won by four strokes. It was one of nine boundaries that included two sixes in his swashbuckling batting display.
“The priority was to win and get points, but over drinks we said we had to get this done.”
McMullen and Scotland face Australia in their final group game but are brimming with confidence after an impressive start to the tournament.
“We always try to raise the bar and have confidence in the Australian game. This is the plan going forward,” McMullen said.
Scotland’s chase started well. George Munsey scored 41 runs before being caught by Mehran Khan’s Shakeel Ahmed, while Michael Jones scored 16 runs.
McMullen then took charge of the game and finished it off with Matthew Cross. He was 15 not out in an eight-ball knock that included two monster sixes.
Oman captain Aqib Ilyas lamented his side’s failure to produce a more competitive all-round performance and missed opportunities in Scotland’s innings after winning the toss and choosing to bat at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound.
“175 could have been a good score, but there were too many dot balls on a flat track,” Aqib said. “We need improvement in our batting average. 150 was par, but I lost too many chances.
“Making the catch puts pressure on the other team. This is cricket. Sometimes you’re at the top, sometimes you’re at the bottom.”
Aqib’s decision to bat first seemed to have paid off as opener Pratik Athavale continued his innings with 54 off 40 balls, Naseem Khushi added 10 and Aqib Ilyas added 16.
However, Zeeshan Maqsood was dropped cheaply for three and Khalid Kail was out for 10 runs to leave Omanis at 71-4 after 8.5 overs.
Ayaan Khan steadied the ship with an unbeaten 41 off 39 deliveries, supported by Mehran Khan who added 13 not out.
Safyaan Sharif was the only Scottish bowler with multiple wickets, but his seamer brace saw him score a costly 40 runs.
Brad Wheal bowled an economical spell of 1-19 from four overs while spinner Mark Watt’s four overs scored 25 runs with one wicket.
