New Zealand have the last laugh despite Scotland resistance

New Zealand Beat Scotland by 16 runs to further strengthen their semi-final spot claim, thanks to Martin Guptill excellence.  

Scotland, however, was impressive in the first half of their innings. Both the openers had the perfect start to their innings but nobody could convert them into big ones.

All the top order batters had ordinary outings. They needed one extraordinary effort to stand any chance. Matthew Cross's slow innings probably hurt Scotland big time.

In the end, the lack of experience came into play as New Zealand stuck to tight lengths to ease past the Scottish resistance posed by Michael Leask. He scored 42 off 20 balls but couldn't lift his team.

Trent Boult and Ish Sodi both picked up two wickets each for New Zealand. Mitchell Santner's economical spell of 0 for 23 in 4 overs proved useful in the end. 

Earlier, New Zealand showed how to bat in the first innings in tricky conditions. Martin Guptill and Daryl Mitchell were aggressive in the beginning until the Safyaan Sharif over, which saw Daryl Mitchell and Kane Williamson back to the pavilion.

Martin Guptill, however, continued in the same fashion. New Zealand scored 52 for 2 in the powerplay. Devon Conway failed to deliver yet again. His wicket forced New Zealand to follow a conservative approach.

However, a mammoth partnership between Glenn Phillips and Martin Guptil set the tone for a big score. The former played the supporting role while the latter whacked all around the park for his scintillating 93.

Mark Watt once again starred with the ball for Scotland. Guptill was given the Player of the Match award for his scintillating 93 runs record.

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