The second T20I of the 3-match series between Scotland and Australia took place at the Grange Cricket Club in Edinburgh. After a dominant display in the first T20I, the Aussies were looking to seal the series with a second consecutive victory. It was Scotland who won the toss, and they asked the visitors to come out to bat first.
Australia didn’t have a good start at all as the hero of the first T20I, Travis Head got dismissed for a first-ball duck by Brad Currie and his opening partner, Jake Fraser-McGurk also departed after only scoring 16 runs, leaving the Aussies at 23/2 after 3.2 overs.
However, the next batters, Josh Inglis and Cameron Green steadied the Australian innings. Inglis wasted no time in going after the Scottish bowlers while Green played the supporting role really well. The former never slowed and raced to a quick-fire half-century before breaking the record for the fastest T20I century ever scored by an Australian batter, doing so in just 43 balls.
Interestingly, Inglis along with Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell shared the previous record with their respective 47-ball tons. The 29-year-old scored 7 boundaries and sixes each to break his own record. Green would lose his wicket for 36 and Inglis would get dismissed on 103 before Tim David would smash 17 runs off just 7 balls to help Australia reach the mammoth total of 196/4 after 20 overs.
In reply, Scotland kept on losing wickets from the get-go and never really got going. Brandon McMullen’s knock of 59 was the only positive to come out from their innings as the Australian bowlers proved to be too good and bowled them out for only 126 runs in 16.4 overs.
All-rounder Marcus Stoinis would be the star for Australia in the bowling department as he racked up 4 wickets for the visitors. Each of the 6 bowlers that skipper Mitchell Marsh used would end up getting at-least a wicket as Australia had another really positive day at the office with a comfortable 70-run victory. This win also means that the Aussies triumph in the 3-match T20I series.
The final match is set to be played at the same venue on September 7, Saturday.
