England took a big step towards qualifying for the Super 8s stage of the Men’s T20 World Cup with a five-wicket win over Scotland in Kolkata.
Harry Brook’s side had a four-point win over Nepal but lost their first two Group C matches to West Indies, leaving them fourth out of five teams and under pressure to avoid an embarrassing early exit.
Richie Berrington, 49, and Tom Bruce, 24, produced an impressive 71 runs to help Scotland recover from 42-3 after losing the toss and forcing England to bat, and England hit back with five wickets in the space of 21 balls.
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Jofra Archer wins two overs in Scotland’s innings, reaching 50 T20I wickets
Scotland were eventually dismissed for 152 in 19.4 overs, but Tom Bunton’s superb 33-ball 50 saw England fight back from losing both openers early on and accelerate towards the victory target.
Bunton finished his undefeated run with a 63 and was in the key stand with Jacob Bethel (32 points) and Sam Curran (28 points), while Will Jacks (16 games hitless) rounded out the victory with a point streak. England chased down the target with 10 balls remaining and secured their second win of the tournament.
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Jos Buttler gave up his wicket early while skiing to Brandon McMullen, leaving England trailing by two points early in the run chase against Scotland.
England are guaranteed a place in the Super Eights with a win over Italy on Monday (live on Sky Sports Cricket from 9.30am), while Scotland need a result with a win over Nepal on Tuesday to progress.
More to come…
England T20 World Cup schedule and results (1st round)
Always UK and Ireland. All matches will be streamed live on Sky Sports
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