sports

Tom Banton powers England to emphatic T20 World Cup win over Scotland

  • Group C: England, 155-5, bt Scotland 152 all out, by 5 wkts

  • Banton hits seven boundaries in unbeaten 63

In the city where a few handfuls of rupees were melted down to make the original Calcutta Cup, it was Scotland who lost their shape when the heat started to rise and the pressure to build. England won by five wickets and though it was, in the end, emphatic it was not exactly a rediscovery of peak form, even if Tom Banton appeared to have located his with a 41-ball 63 that powered his team to victory.

Scotland built half an excellent innings, but it careered downhill at Winterolympian pace in its third quarter. They faced two helpings of spin, each four overs long, and each brought carnage of a different kind: a barrage of runs in the first, a riot of wickets in the second. From there they recovered somewhat, but on a fine batting wicket England never seriously flirted with defeat, even if they did briefly threaten to self-destruct.

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