MATCH STORY
Follow UsYou can assess the value of a knock with the intensity of applause from the dressing room/dugout when the batter reaches a landmark. The Scotland dugout was quite abuzz when Brandon McMullen celebrated his second fifty of this T20 World Cup.
Scotland have had only two 50-plus scores in this World Cup, both coming from the bat of McMullen. Against Oman, he helped Scotland scale down 152 easily with his unbeaten 61 off 31 balls. However, on Saturday night in Barbados, the task was steeper.
Scotland were facing an in-from Australia that had blanked their opposition in each of their first three games. They were heading into the game with the confidence of marching into the Super 8s. Scotland had to win in order to advance at the expense of England. The equation was simpler for them a few days ago when they only needed to not lose by a particular margin. But England’s comeback meant they needed to win now.
Australia won the toss and put Scotland into bat. They had batted well against England, scoring 90 without losing a wicket in a 10-over contest that ended without a result. However, that was still a truncated game. This time around, they needed to start well before the Kangaroos pounced on them. McMullen walked into bat when Ashton Agar had dismissed Michael Jones in the first over of the innings.
McMullen has been among Scotland's top three T20I batters since 2023, averaging 33.7 at a strike rate of 148.7, acceptable numbers for any top-order batter. But it is his game against spin that makes him more valuable in the Scotland line-up. Before facing Australia, McMullen averaged 39 against spinners at a strike rate of 160.8.
On this day, Australia were going ahead with three spinners, resting both Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins. Hence, McMullen was key to providing Scotland with a quick start. McMullen responded with a 34-ball 60. Reaching his half-century in 26 balls, he also notched up the fastest fifty for Scotland in a World Cup.
McMullen started with a six each against Nathan Ellis and Mitchell Starc but, overall, smashed the Australian spinners for 37 runs from 19 balls. Australia had all three kinds of spinners — a left-arm finger spinner in Agar, an off-spinner in Glenn Maxwell and the leg-spin of Adam Zampa. He struck all of them for at least a six each. He hit six of them overall.
But the special aspect of McMullen’s innings was the pristine nature of his power-hitting. Five of his six sixes came in the extra cover region. If you understand power hitters in white-ball cricket, you would know it is rare.
McMullen’s strokeplay over the extra cover region was well thought out. He attempted to hit the ball with the wind, even if it meant playing with the spin on occasion. Doing it on purpose showed his skillset against spin.
"Most venues here (in the West Indies) have a strong breeze, and that was crucial for us in putting up a good total. So it was a bit of game plan, to hit boundaries with the breeze,” McMullen said at the end of the innings.
In George Munsey, he found an ideal partner to put Australia under pressure. The duo added 89 off 48 balls for the second wicket. It was one of those unusual pitches that made batting not look like a punishment. When McMullen departed, Scotland were flying at a run rate of 10 (111/3 in 11.2 overs).
His departure took the gas out of Scotland’s innings. They managed only 68 runs in their last eight overs. The Aussie spinners breathe a sigh of relief, conceding only 36 runs in the five overs between them after McMullen was gone.
There are not many European batters renowned for power-hitting against spin. McMullen is not only consistent in hitting spinners, but he hits them cleanly. At only 24 years old, he has launched himself into this World Cup. We may not see him any further in the tournament, but the next time you watch Scotland play, you know which batter to watch out for.
If you’ve not downloaded the Cricket.com app yet, you’re missing out — big time. Play Fantasy on Cricket.com NOW! Download the App here.
