Bristol: New Zealand kept their Women's T20 World Cup campaign alive with a composed six-wicket victory over Scotland, surviving an early wobble before a 101-run partnership between Izzy Sharp and Brooke Halliday sealed a crucial win that eliminated Scotland from the tournament.
Coming into the contest with both teams facing a virtual knockout, New Zealand made the right call at the toss by opting to field. However, the defending champions were made to work hard by a spirited Scotland outfit that refused to go quietly.
Darcey Carter anchored Scotland's innings with an outstanding unbeaten 72 off 52 deliveries, carrying her bat through as wickets tumbled around her. Scotland looked set for a significantly bigger total after reaching 96 for 2 in the 15th over, with Carter finding valuable support from Katherine Fraser and Sarah Bryce.
But New Zealand's bowlers staged an impressive turnaround in the closing stages. Sophie Devine broke the momentum with two quick wickets before Amelia Kerr's brilliant spell at the death, which yielded figures of 3 for 17, restricted Scotland to 131 for 7. The collapse of five wickets for just 35 runs meant Carter's lone effort was left without the finishing flourish it deserved.
Brief scores: Scotland 131/7 in 20 overs (Darcey Carter 72*, Sarah Bryce 25; Amelia Kerr 3-17, Sophie Devine 2-19) lost to New Zealand 132/4 in 18.2 overs (Izzy Sharp 62, Brooke Halliday 41*; Kathryn Bryce 2-13, Rachel Slater 2-22) by 6 wickets. IANS
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