Ter Braak, Phillips take New Zealand U-19 to big win
New Zealand Under-19 coasted to an easy victory over Scotland Under-19 in the quarter-final for a ninth-place finish in the ICC Under-19 World Cup 2016 on Thursday (February 4).
Scotland was kept to 181 for 9 before New Zealand completed the chase in a hurry to seal a seven-wicket victory in 27 overs at Sheik Kamal International Cricket Stadium Academy Ground in Cox’s Bazar.
Scotland chose to bat, but struggled to get a partnership going. The New Zealand bowlers kept picking up wickets, with Ross ter Braak’s 3 for 34 the best figures of the innings. In response, New Zealand was powered by Glenn Phillips. The big-hitting opener hammered a 40-ball 89, an innings that took the match away from Scotland, before the middle order took New Zealand across the line.
Scotland started well enough, with Neil Flack and Azeem Dar putting on 37 for the opening wicket. The stand was broken by ter Braak, who had Azeem caught behind for a 26-ball 13, but Owais Shah then came on and took charge, even as wickets fell at the other end.
He put on 12 runs with Flack (22) before Josh Finnie dismissed the opener, and added 29 with Rory Johnston for the third wicket. Johnston was happy to use the dead bat, and scored a 35-ball eight before he was trapped in front by Felix Murray. When Owais was then run out for a 66-ball 32, Scotland was in serious trouble at 87 for 4 in the 31st over.
However, there was no collapse. Instead, the batsmen dug in and put on small stands to keep the scoreboard ticking along. Jack Waller and Finlay McGreath added 23 for the fifth wicket, before Waller (24) fell to Murray. McGreath then hung around to 25 with Ryan Brown for the sixth.
Ter Braak dismissed them both in successive overs, though, but Haris Aslam and Harris Carnegie then added a 27 for the eighth wicket in the death overs to boost the total.
But it became a no-contest as Phillips unleashed an attack so vicious that whatever hopes Scotland harboured were washed away. His knock comprised 11 fours and six sixes, and though he fell for 89 when he was dismissed by Aslam, his belligerence deserved a century. In the next over, Daniel Stanley, who had scored a 36-ball nine, was bowled by Mitchell Rao, and New Zealand was 99 for 2.
Phillips had a laid solid foundation, and the middle order, with contributions from Christian Leopard (25), Finnie (30 not out) and Finn Allen (31 not out), had no trouble crossing the line.