New Zealand vs Scotland T20I: Can Scotland at least get close?

The Super 12s stage of the T20 World Cup is reaching its midway point and it is becoming a must-win situation for many teams. In this Group 2 clash, New Zealand will clash against Scotland. New Zealand comes into this affair after a win against India while Scotland lost a close contest to Namibia in the last fixture. It is clear that New Zealand has an overwhelming edge over the Associate nation. For a brief look, simply head over to the “Expert Betting Tips” section below.

A strong bowling attack

For New Zealand, the pace is the name of the game. With bowlers like Boult, Southee, and Milne in the pace attack and Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi in the spin attack, the bowling is well-balanced. All three pacers are capable of producing variations while also hitting the deck hard and both Pakistan and India, two quality sides had no answer to them. Ish Sodhi grabbed a couple of wickets against India and Mitchell Santner gave nothing to round off this stellar bowling lineup. Top bowling picks to keep in mind when betting on (over or under) for wickets or for Best Bowler/Player Performance:

• Ish Sodhi: 4 wickets at 5.62 runs per over;
• Trent Boult: 4 wickets at 6.39 runs per over;
• Tim Southee: 2 wickets at 6.37 runs per over;
• Mitchell Santer: 1 wicket at 6.00 runs per over.

Batting: Still figuring out

Daryll Mitchell chipped in with 49 in the last game but Martin Guptill has not been at his fluent best. Pakistan squeezed the New Zealand batting in the first game but against India, the scoreboard didn’t test the Kiwi batters. Kane Williamson played a decent knock in the last game but so far the unit has not even decided upon the batting order. Devon Conway saw his opening place go to Daryll and his role may be either coming at number four or a shuffle as per the situation. Before you bet on (Over or Under), keep in mind the batting picks for New Zealand:

• Daryll Mitchell: 76 runs at an average of 38.0. Highest: 49;
• Kane Williamson: 58 runs at an average of 58.0. Highest: 33;
• Martin Guptill: 37 runs at an average of 18.5. Highest: 20;
• Devon Conway: 29 runs at an average of 29.0. Highest: 27.

All in all, New Zealand needs to finish the business and their last three games and they are through to the Semis. The toughest game will be against Afghanistan, so this might end up being a dress rehearsal against Scottish men. Here is the list of fielders who have taken the most catches:

• Martin Guptill: 3, Daryll Mitchell: 2, Devon Conway: 1.

Batting woes

Scotland’s dream run with the bat has been ended by first Afghanistan and then Namibia. Against a pace machine-heavy bowling like New Zealand, the batters can be in a world of trouble. Berrington and Cross have not done much so far after a superb First Round run and the other batters have floundered too. Leask did play a 44 runs innings in the last game but this time all of the batters will be tested even more. These are the top batters for Scotland during Super 12s:

• Michael Leask: 44 runs at an average of 22. Highest: 44;
• Chris Greaves: 37 runs at an average of 18.5. Highest: 25;
• George Munsey: 25 runs at an average of 12.5. Highest: 25;
• Matthew Cross: 19 runs at an average of 9.5. Highest: 19.

Seamers not doing enough

With the exception of Mark Watt, the main bowlers for the Scottish took some beating against Afghanistan. Watt is the mainstay of bowling with his tight line and lengths. Safyaan Sharif has emerged as a decent option in the fast bowling department but a New Zealand attack can decimate him as well. The bowlers did well against Namibia but New Zealand has a number of power hitters and a better batting composition. Seamers Josh Davey and Brad Wheal will have to pick up the slack nonetheless. Hence, the numbers below can be a tad misleading. Peak bowlers in the Super 12s for Scotland are given below:

• Saafyan Sharif: 2 wickets at 7.5 runs per over;
• Mark Watt: 2 wickets at 5.62 runs per over;
• Michael Leask: 2 wickets at 10.00 runs per over;
• Brad Wheal: 1 wicket at 8.00 runs per over.

To be honest, both batting-wise and bowling-wise, the Scottish outfit stands a slim chance. New Zealand is too loaded, experienced, and confident for an Associate level team. The team gave India a beating and even the red-hot Pakistan had to cajole an escape win against them. Is there any chance for Scotland here?

Although, in such a lop-sided setup, the pitch may be taken out of the equation at times, still, it is always an important aspect to discuss. New Zealand played here last against India and the pitch showed signs of slowness, making it tough to time the ball. In this case, spinner Mark Watt will be huge while Leask can also pose some problems for New Zealand. However, the New Zealand pace attack showed that with variations and slower deliveries, even the fast bowlers can find some purchase. Let us see what kind of surface is laid for this contest.

The statistics are laid above at some length, still, here are some quick notes:

• Mark Watt has been the most economical bowler for Scotland although he usually takes one wicket at best for Scotland;
• New Zealand’s James Neesham neither batted nor bowled in the game against India;
• New Zealand hit 10 fours and 3 sixes against India, they were chasing just 111 so they have the potential for much more;
• Daryll Mitchell collected 69 Performance Points in the last game;
• Martin Guptill accumulated 50 Performance Points in the match against India courtesy of three catches;
• If New Zealand bats first, expect a big score, and if Scotland bats first, just expect the reverse;
• The boundaries are big on the ground so six-hitting is not going to be easy, especially for Scotland.

• Martin Guptill, Performance Points TO(34.5) for 1.832;
• To Hit 3+ Fours: Daryl Mitchell for 1.83;
• Batsman Matches (Most Runs) HG Munsey vs Matthew Cross: 1 for 1.90.