Australia took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series against Scotland with a commanding win in the second match. Led by Mitchell Marsh, Australia defeated Scotland by 70 runs at the Grange Club in Edinburgh on August 6, Friday.
Speaking of the game, Scotland skipper Richie Berrington won the toss and opted to field first. Australia faced early challenges, losing two wickets inside four overs. Travis Head, the standout performer of the first T20I, was dismissed for a first-ball duck, from a delivery of Bradley Currie. Currie struck again in his following over and sent back Jack Fraser-McGurk (16) with Chris Sole taking a juggling catch near the long-off boundary.
Meanwhile, Inglis and Cameron Green came together to steady the innings when Australia were 23-2. Inglis delivered an aggressive batting, scoring 19 runs off a Brad Wheal over during the powerplay. The duo added a 92-run stand for the third wicket before Currie removed Green for 36, taking a challenging caught-and-bowled opportunity. However, Inglis went on to showcase his prowess by hitting a hundred off just 43 deliveries and it became the fastest-ever T20I century by an Australian.
The wicketkeeper-batter ended up scoring 103 off just 49 deliveries, including seven boundaries and as many maximums. Later, Marcus Stoinis and Tim David added 20* and 17*, respectively, to help Australia reach a formidable total of 196 for 4. Currie was the standout bowler for Scotland, finishing with figures of 3/37, while Sole contributed one wicket.
In pursuit of the 195-run chase, Scotland got off to a solid start, with George Munsey blasting 17 runs off Xavier Bartlett’s opening over. Nevertheless, Australia responded quickly, with Aaron Hardie removing opener Michael Jones for just one run and Bartlett dismissing Munsey (19) in rapid succession, putting Scotland at 20-2.
McMullen, who had previously impressed against Australia during the World Cup, emerged as Scotland’s standout performer. He scored a stunning half-century and despite his efforts, his partners Richie Berrington and Charlie Tear were dismissed cheaply. He ended his innings at 59 off 42 deliveries, after being dismissed by Sean Abbott which was caught brilliantly by Tim David on the long-on boundary. His dismissal put Scotland in trouble as they collapsed from 106-4 to 126 all out. Stoinis impressed with the ball, claiming a four-wicket haul for 23 runs.
