T20 World Cup: Scotland thrash Oman to boost Super 8s hopes – BBC Sport

T20 World Cup, Group B (Antigua)

Oman 150-7 (20 overs): Athavale 54 (40), Ayaan 41 (39); Sharif 2-40

Scotland 153-3 (13.1 overs): McMullen 61* (31), Munsey 41 (20); Bilal 1-12

Scotland win by seven wickets

Scotland raced to a comprehensive seven-wicket victory over Oman at the T20 World Cup to go top of Group B.

A wonderful unbeaten 61 from Brandon McMullen guided Scotland to their target of 151 in just 13.1 overs as Richie Berrington’s side delivered a real statement.

Safyaan Sharif marked his 200th Scotland cap with two wickets before the batting line-up took over.

George Munsey and Michael Jones set the tone before McMullen took charge with a series of eye-catching shots all around the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.

The nature of the result leaves Scotland in a strong position to make the Super 8s and leaves England’s qualification hopes hanging by a thread.

A win over Australia next Sunday would guarantee the Scots’ place in the next stage, while even a loss could see them through.

In that scenario, England would need to win both their games against Oman and Namibia and also overhaul Scotland’s healthy net run-rate.

In all three of their games at this World Cup, Scotland’s batting arsenal has come up with the goods when required.

Against England, Munsey and Jones whacked the likes of Mark Wood and Adil Rashid around the Kensington Oval – and it was only the rain that denied the Scots a shot at an historic win.

Chasing 156 against Namibia, it was left to the middle order to stand up. Scotland needed 40 from the last four overs; and Berrington and Michael Leask delivered a late barrage as they cruised home with nine balls to spare.

In Antigua, on a true pitch, Scotland utilised a strong wind and a short boundary to full advantage.

Munsey was at his brutal best, clubbing into the leg side off the seamers and reverse sweeping the slower bowlers into the stands. He is one of the more unorthodox players in world cricket and, when he plays well, Scotland tend to follow.

McMullen is Scotland’s bright young thing, all elegance and timing. The South African-born bat has played several eye-catching innings since his international debut in December 2022 and this was up there with the best of them.

If Scotland carry their batting form into their meeting with Australia then you wouldn’t bet against them making the next stage of the competition.

Scotland captain Richie Berrington: “Really pleased with that performance. It was important to get a win in what we knew would be a tough game. We’ve put ourselves in a really good position.

“It’s the first game on this wicket and we had to work it out quickly.

“We didn’t have a score in mind. It was more about trying to work out the right lengths to bowl and what was going to be effective.

“It was hard to defend the short side with the breeze, but we did that well for most of the innings.

“Although we were happy with what we’re chasing, it was really important to get a good start. If you lose a few early wickets, it can be a different chase.

“That partnership between George and Brandon got us in a strong position. We know what a classy player McMullen is, so I was really pleased for him to get a score.

“[Net run-rate] might come into play, but we can only control what we can. We’ll enjoy this moment, but we know there’s another big game to come.”