Travis Head's 80 off 25 blows Scotland away
Australia quickly secured a victory by seven wickets with over 10 overs remaining.
Travis Head hit 80 runs in just 25 balls.
Australia scored 156 runs for the loss of 3 wickets, with Head contributing 80 runs, to defeat Scotland who managed to score 154 runs for the loss of 9 wickets. Abbott took 3 wickets for Australia in the match as they won by 7 wickets.
Travis Head showed some impressive hitting, scoring the most runs in a powerplay and reaching a record-tying fifty off just 17 balls. Australia easily defeated Scotland by seven wickets in the first T20I in Edinburgh, with more than 10 overs remaining, after a strong performance from their bowlers in the beginning of the match.
The team playing at home started the game well, especially thanks to George Munsey, and looked like they were in a good position even though they were losing wickets while trying to score runs quickly. However, after reaching 101 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in the 12th over, they then lost 6 wickets for just 44 runs. Australia's fast bowlers were able to take advantage of the tricky pitch conditions, along with two key wickets taken by Adam Zampa.
The idea that 154 could be a competitive score was proven wrong in an impressive show of power hitting by Head and Mitchell Marsh. After Fraser-McGurk got out for a duck in his first T20I match, Head and Marsh hit 14 boundaries in a row. Australia ended the powerplay with 113 runs for the loss of one wicket, the second-highest total in T20Is. Head scored 73 runs himself, surpassing Paul Stirling's 67 runs against West Indies in 2020.
Battle At The Headwaters
With all the buzz surrounding him this year, it was easy to overlook the fact that Fraser-McGurk was playing his first T20I match. Unfortunately, he was unable to make an impact in his debut innings as he found himself facing the surprising medium pace of Brandon McMullen. Attempting to pull the third delivery, he mistimed his shot and ended up hitting the ball to midwicket where Charlie Cassell made a fantastic catch.
However, any concerns about Australia's shaky start disappeared as they hit a series of boundaries. Head, who was a standout player in the MLC tournament in July, scored three fours off Brad Wheal's first over. Giving McMullen a second over backfired, costing 20 runs. But the real damage came in the fifth over when Marsh hit three sixes off Jack Jarvis, scoring 30 runs. Scotland's bowlers were unable to respond, with many deliveries ending up in the trees.
During the sixth over, Head scored a fifty off just 17 balls, tying Marcus Stoinis' record for the fastest fifty by an Australian in T20Is. This impressive feat was achieved by hitting either a four or a six on 14 consecutive deliveries.
Scotland's George Munsey started strong by hitting boundaries early in the game. He kept putting pressure on Australia with his skilled whip-pulls over the leg side during the powerplay. McMullen also contributed to the team's performance.
During the fifth over, Munsey hit two back-to-back deliveries from Riley Meredith for six runs each. He then scored another boundary, bringing Scotland's total to 18 runs for the over. Munsey reached Scotland's fifty in the following over, but was soon caught by Josh Inglis with a fantastic diving catch to his left, after hitting a thick outside edge.
Scotland's hopes took a hit when McMullen was caught at deep cover shortly after the fielding restrictions were lifted. Captain Richie Berrington seemed to be finding his rhythm, but his dismissal, caught at long-off by Zampa, changed the course of the innings. After that, Scotland had a hard time gaining any momentum. Stoinis and Cameron Green bowled consecutive overs that only went for four runs each, and the combined efforts of the two all-rounders only cost 22 runs in four overs.
Meredith, Xavier Bartlett, and Sean Abbott finished the innings well, with only a couple of impressive sixes from Jack Jarvis and Mark Watt providing any significant resistance.
During the game, Head received a lot of focus but Marsh also performed well, scoring 39 runs from 11 balls. He was eventually dismissed by Watt's first delivery. It was noted that Watt, a left-arm spinner, was kept on the sidelines until after the fielding restrictions were lifted, which may have been a missed opportunity as he could have been utilized earlier.
At that point, it was clear that Australia would win, but there were a few notable moments as they scored the final runs. Watt's delivery, thrown from far behind the bowling crease, caused batters to back away at the last minute. This happened twice, first with Inglis and then with Stoinis. According to Law 20.4.2.5, the umpire made the right call both times. However, this could be a topic of discussion in the upcoming matches, as Scotland aims to put up a better fight.
Andrew McGlashan works as a deputy editor at ESPNcricinfo.
