Kiwis rip through Scotland to stay on course for semis

New Zealand opener Martin Guptill's 56-ball 93 has inspired them to a 16-run victory over a spirited Scotland in the Twenty20 World Cup and improved their chances of reaching the semi-finals.

Asked to bat first on Wednesday, the Black Caps found themselves in a tricky position at 3-52 after the Powerplay, with skipper Kane Williamson and Devon Conway falling cheaply, but Guptill and Glenn Phillips helped them reach 5-172 off their 20 overs.

Guptill's effort helped him become the second batsman after India's Virat Kohli to cross 3,000 runs in T20 internationals.

In response, Scotland could only manage 5-156 to hand their opponents – who had thumped pre-tournament favourites India in the last game – their second victory of the tournament ahead of their last two Super 12 stage matches against Namibia and Afghanistan.

New Zealand will guarantee themselves a semi-final spot if they win those two games.

Opener George Munsey (22) looked dangerous during his knock, which included two huge sixes off Ish Sodhi, while Matthew Cross (27) showed plenty of intent, hitting Adam Milne for five consecutive boundaries.

But frequent wickets hurt Scotland and Michael Leask (42 not out) tried to force the issue late on only to fall short.

Trent Boult (2-29) and Sodhi (2-42) secured the win, which leaves New Zealand third in Group 2, level on four points with Afghanistan and behind leaders Pakistan.

Earlier, Guptill took the attack to the Scottish bowlers en route to his 18th fifty in T20 internationals, plundering runs largely in the square-leg and mid-wicket regions with seven sixes and six fours.

Clearly struggling in the Dubai heat later in his innings, he looked poised to bring up his third T20 century while dealing only in big shots after two sixes in Safyaan Sharif's 16th over and another off Alasdair Evans to race into the 90s.

"I was pretty cooked. We've got a day off, so I won't be doing much tomorrow," Guptill conceded.

"We didn't have a great start, losing three wickets in the Powerplay.

"Glenn and I had to assess the situation and get a partnership together. We created a bit of momentum."

Phillips played his role perfectly on a slow track as he rotated strike regularly during his 33 off 37 balls before being caught at midwicket by Chris Greaves off paceman Brad Wheal in the 19th over.

That ended the New Zealand pair's superb 105-run stand for the fourth wicket, before Guptill joined Phillips back in the dugout the very next ball as he tried to raise the scoring rate further.

2021 Men's T20 World Cup

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How the teams are grouped

Round 1

Group A: Sri Lanka, Ireland, Netherlands, Namibia

Group B: Bangladesh, Scotland, Papua New Guinea, Oman

Super 12s

Group 1: England, Australia, South Africa, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh

Group 2: India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Afghanistan, Scotland, Namibia