Josh Inglis’ Fastest Century
The outstanding Josh Inglis did make the fastest T20I hundred by an Aussie as his 103 off 49 balls helped Australia beat Scotland by 70 runs in taking a commanding 2-0 lead in this three-match series on Friday.
Inglis brought up his century in just 43 balls, four deliveries better than the previous best he shared with Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell. His great innings were the backbone of Australia’s total of 196 for 4, with the rest of the top six contributing just 89 runs from 73 balls.
Australia, after being asked to bat, managed 197 for a target that was going to be a handful for Scotland. Scotland had their glints of moments, especially Brandon McMullen’s 59 in 42, and nothing much beyond it. The effort from McMullen was the lone highlight part of Scotland’s chase, as for the most part, the team lost track of the asking run rate on this two-paced pitch that gave bits of assistance to Australian seamers.
The Australian bowlers made the most of the conditions, using their height to good effect and bowling hard lengths. Whenever Scotland threatened to get on top – George Munsey smoked two sixes off the opening over, for instance – Australia clucked back. The turning point arrived in the 13th over when Sean Abbott dismissed McMullen to start a collapse in which Scotland’s last six wickets fell for 20 runs, bowling out for 126 in 16.4 overs.
While Inglis was going along quite nicely, the rest of Australia’s batting found the going tough. Jake Fraser-McGurk, from a duck on debut to 16 off 16, and Travis Head, the star of the first game, fell to golden ducks. Cameron Green and Marcus Stoinis chipped in with 36 and 20 not out respectively, but both made their most significant dent with the ball, taking six for 39 off 5.4 overs between them.
Inglis’ inning was a masterclass of aggressive batting, frenetic footwork, innovation in his shot-making, and powerful stroke play. The manipulation of the field and adaptation to the pressure were different, as Inglis punished the Scottish bowlers with a mix of scoops, reverse scoops, and powerful pulls.
Chris Sole was Scotland’s most successful bowler, ending Inglis’ astonishing innings in the 19th over. His good work and a late cameo from Tim David-who smoked two sixes off the last over-could not get Australia past 196.
This victory secured the series for Australia, but most importantly, it underlined Inglis’ brilliance as the differentiating factor in this dominant performance. The Scots tried hard, toiling but unable to overcome the might of the Australian attack or, for that matter, the record-shattering century by Inglis himself.
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Jawad Shah