World T20 2021 | OMA vs BAN: Watch Fayaaz Butt, the ignored Pakistan U-19 star catch a screamer for Oman

PNG fighting spirit too little too late as Berrington, Davey power Scotland to second win

The way Norman Vanua and Kiplin Doriga were hitting the ball between overs 14 to 16 and brought the required run rate from more than 12 at the start of the 14th over to only 46 from the last 24 balls with two set batsmen in, it seemed like Scotland were about to have a taste of their medicine. But first Mark Watt and then Josh Davey bowled brilliantly to squeeze the run-scoring as well as get both batters out to make it almost impossible for two new png batters to get 38 off the last two overs. However, Chad Soper didn’t lose hope and thanks to six on the last ball of the 19th over from number 11 Kabua Morea, the Barramundis needed 24 from the last six balls. With Soper hitting the second ball of Josh Davey’s and innings’ last over for a huge six over the cow corner, for a moment ‘remember the name’ must have flashed in front of the eyes of the supporters of the Pacific nation. But it wasn’t to be as Davey, who had bowled brilliantly up until then bowled a slower bouncer, the same ploy he used against Vanua, and got the wicket of Soper to end the innings and win it for his team by 17 runs. Davey’s figures of 4-18 are now the best bowling figures for a Scotland player in a T20 World Cup game. Though PNG got so close at the end, it didn’t look like happening when they had lost five wickets for 35 runs and had gotten off to a worse possible start. Their top two batters in skipper Assad Vala and Charles Amini were gone and it was only up to Vanua and Sese Bau to get the team as close as possible to the target. The two partnerships of 37 between Bau and Vanua and 53 between Vanua and Doriga were crucial in getting where PNG eventually got to. Earlier in the day, after winning the toss Scottish skipper Kyle Coetzer decided to bat first. Though Coetzer himself and the other opener George Munsey failed once again, Richie Berrington and Matthew Cross steadied the ship with a 92 run stand. Though Cross got out on 45, Berrington made sure that he completed his third T20I fifty. The Scotts were going great guns until the 17th over with Berrington touching his 70 run mark. However, in the last three overs, they lost track and lost six wickets for just 19 runs as the PNG team pulled back and restricted the Scots to only 165-9. Morea was the pick of the bowlers for PNG as he ended up with figures of 4-31 in his four overs. The Scots are in for a great game once again when they face Oman in their last game and that game might just turn out to be a virtual qualifier if Bangladesh go on to win against Oman and PNG in their next two games.

Was fortunate to have Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers in the same team: Glenn Maxwell

Australia’s Glenn Maxwell had a good run during the recently concluded Indian Premier League where he was a part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Maxwell scored a total of 513 runs in 15 matches for RCB and also notched up six half-centuries during the course. The right-handed batsman has credited the cash-rich league for getting the exposure to learn from the best in the business. "Every day was a learning experience, every day I was finding something new out. I was being a sponge to Virat and AB, just watching the way they go about things," Maxwell said. Maxwell further said that he was “fortunate” to share the dugout with the likes of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. "I was extremely fortunate to have two of the greats of the game in the same team and in the same batting line up and who were open to sharing their experiences and talk to me about their game. It makes you feel 10-feet tall when you've got your backing and they're watching you or asking you questions,” he added. Maxwell has now joined the Australian squad for the World T20 2021. The Aussie team which has never lifted the World T20 is slated to begin the tournament against South Africa on October 23 in Abu Dhabi.

If you ever doubt Warner, it's an absolute no-no: Maxwell backs out of form opener

Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has put his weight behind teammate and opener David Warner and has said that the left-handed batsman is a superstar in all three formats and will turn fortunes for himself soon. "If you ever doubt Davey, it's an absolute no-no. You know he's going to turn it around. He's a superstar of all three formats. He's made so many runs. He's going to go down as one of the greats of the game,” Maxwell said. Warner has had a rough patch in the recent past after he failed to score runs for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the UAE leg of the IPL. He only managed to score a couple of runs in two games in the second phase while having a disappointing time during the warm-up match against New Zealand on Monday in Abu Dhabi. Warner was dismissed for a golden duck off Tim Southee after Martin Guptill grabbed a stunner. Pointing out the same, Maxwell insisted that it was more about Guptill’s fielding efforts that led to Warner’s dismissal. “Unfortunately, he got Martin Guptill'd yesterday with an absolute hanger. Gup seems to do that a lot against us,” added Maxwell. "Those sorts of things happen when you're searching for it,” he further said. Australia will begin the campaign on October 23 against South Africa in Abu Dhabi.

World T20 2021: Scotland lose six wickets in final two overs against PNG

PNG made a fine return against Scotland with the ball during the World T20 2021 match in Al Amerat on Tuesday after they scalped six wickets in the final two overs. Batting first, Scotland lost a couple of early wickets and were reduced to 26/2 when Cross and Berrington joined hands to provide the resistance to the side. The two batsmen compiled a partnership of 92 runs for the third wicket before Cross was dismissed for 45 off 36. Berrington on the other hand went on to score a 49-ball 70 that included three maximums and six fours during the course. The right-hander also stitched a stand of 33 runs with MacLeod for the fourth wicket but the latter’s dismissal broke the shackles and PNG were back in the game as Scotland saw a flurry of wickets in quick succession. They were reduced to 165/7 to eventually get restricted to 165/9 in 20 overs. Kabua Morea picked up a total of four wickets at the cost of 31 runs in 4 overs while Chad Soper had three scalps to his name for 24 runs in 4 overs. Simon Atai returned with figures of 1/20 in three overs. Scotland who have a win under their belt in the competition lost four wickets in the final over of the innings.