| Second International Twenty20, The Grange |
| New Zealand 254-5 (20 overs): Chapman 83, Bracewell 61. Hands 2-42 |
| Scotland 152-9 (20 overs): Strikes 37. Neesham 2-9 |
| New Zealand won by 102 runs |
| Scorecard |
New Zealand surpassed their international Twenty20 record by thrashing Scotland for the second time in two days at The Grange.
The visitors posted a mammoth 254-5 from their 20 overs, which included a stunning 18 sixes.
Mark Chapman scored in the lead with 83 from 44 balls before Michael Bracewell hit an unbeaten 61 from just 25 deliveries.
Scotland missed out by 102 points and manager Shane Burger said it showed his team needed to “keep improving”.
The hosts had lost the first of two Twenty20 internationals to New Zealand by 68 runs Wednesday at the same location in Edinburgh.
This time, the Kiwis surpassed their previous record tally of 243, making against the West Indies at Mount Maunganui in January 2018.
“The game keeps getting better, getting faster, guys getting more and more skilled,” Burger said. “It’s been a huge learning curve to know where we are and what do we need to do before the World Cup.
“The more you’re thrown into that environment when they’re better than you and you have to make sure you’re playing at your best, the better we’ll get. We need more international matches against really good teams.”
Substitute Kiwi captain Mitchell Santner won the coin toss and opted to strike first from a flat wicket.
Wednesday’s Centurion Finn Allen fell lightly, but Dane Cleaver and Chapman still managed to score quickly on the power play, with short boundaries and a fast outfield.
Chapman, in particular, was superb, hitting seven sixes all around the floor, only falling to a good bowling limit catch from Chris Greaves.
From there, however, New Zealand picked up the pace again, with Bracewell and Jimmy Neesham (28) scoring at a strike rate of over 230.
After the interval, George Munsey started fast for the hosts, but when he fell for 19, Matthew Cross and Oli Hairs followed him to the clubhouse in quick succession.
This left captain Richie Berrington and Greaves with a mountain to climb and, although the two men rallied, the required run rate continued to increase.
The New Zealand bowlers continued to nibble, dividing the wickets between them at regular intervals, which prevented any real Scottish momentum.
Greaves was impressive on Wednesday and stood out again here, shooting a smooth 37 with a sweeping series of shots.
He was sent back by a magnificent effort caught and thrown by Ish Sodhi, who held out his right hand as the ball looked set to race towards the boundary.
Scotland limped somewhat to 152-9 and will be hoping for better when the teams meet at The Grange on Sunday in a unique one-day international.
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