Australia’s Josh Inglis scripted history on September 6, smashing a blistering 43-ball century to record the fastest T20I hundred by an Australian batter during the second T20I against Scotland in Edinburgh. In conditions where every other batter from both sides struggled for timing, Josh Inglis struck the ball with remarkable fluency on his way to the fastest T20I hundred by an Australia batter.
Josh Inglis brought up the milestone in 43 balls, beating the previous record – held jointly by himself, Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell – by four balls, and finished with 103 off 49. To put the innings in context, the rest of Australia’s top six scored 89 off 73 balls between them. His innings laid the foundation of Australia’s 70-run win over Scotland and also helped them take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Pitch and Toss
“The sun is shining bright today and the boundaries are relatively short here. Straight boundary is 64 and the square boundaries are around 66. The surface looks very firm and it is a very difficult ground to defend,”
Scotland skipper Richie Berrington have won the toss and have opted to field with an aim to bowl on a surface which might assist the bowlers on a foggy day . Scotland, meanwhile, have made five changes for the second T20I. Michael Jones, Charlie Tear, Christopher Sole, Christopher Greaves and Brad Currie starting for them.
Australian skipper Mitchell Marsh batting first made one change to the playing XI as Aaron Hardie comes in for Riley Meredith.
Josh Inglis’ 43-ball century carries Australia to 196 in 20 overs
The conditions delayed the toss by half an hour, but when the game began, Scotland started well. They put Australia in and sent Travis Head packing for a first-ball duck in the second over.
The left-hander opener, who tormented the hosts just two days ago, was cleaned up by fast bowler Bradley Currie. Jake-Fraser McGurk, who got his first T20I runs with a four, looked to kick-on but Currie dismissed him in the next over when he was caught at long-on. Josh Inglis then began his carnage towards the end of the PowerPlay, hitting Brad Wheal for two sixes and a four in a 19-run over.
Josh Inglis and Cameron Green added 92 runs for the third wicket off just 50 balls as the boundaries came at ease even after the PowerPlay. The pair took Australia from 55/2 in 6 overs to 100/2 at the halfway stage, with Inglis bringing up a 20-ball fifty. The only previous time he got to this landmark in the format, he went on to get a 100.
Josh Inglis repeated the feat on Friday, even as Currie returned to break the big stand with the wicket of Green. Josh Inglis was brutal against leggie Chris Greaves with two sixes in an over, and hit two more – off successive balls from Currie – to bring up his 43-ball century. Josh Inglis fell in the penultimate over, after which Tim David arrived and set the last over blaze with a seven-ball 17 to push the visitors close to the 200-mark.
Scotland, opting to bowl first, started strongly as Bradley Currie struck twice early on, removing both Australian openers, including the key wicket of Travis Head for a golden duck. However, Inglis and Cameron Green responded with a 92-run partnership that stabilized Australia’s innings. Josh Inglis was the aggressor, attacking from the start, while Green played a supporting role. Currie returned to break the stand, but Josh Inglis continued his assault on the Scottish bowlers.
Josh Inglis delivered an incredible knock, racing to his second T20I hundred and surpassing the previous fastest century for Australia in the format. His 43-ball ton, marked by both power and precision, electrified the crowd as he raised his bat in celebration. Though he was eventually dismissed, Josh Inglis’ efforts played a pivotal role in helping Australia set a challenging total of 196/6 in their allotted 20 overs.
Bradley Currie was Scotland’s standout bowler, but despite his efforts, Australia managed to push close to the 200 mark. Tim David added the finishing touches with a quick cameo in the final over, ensuring Australia set a competitive target of 196.
Take Inglis away, and Australia didn’t do a whole lot better with the bat. Jake Fraser-McGurk, who had fallen for a duck on T20I debut on Wednesday, got off the mark in the format with a first-ball four. But he struggled to middle the ball – and often failed to connect – as his aim-for-the-grandstand methods proved unsuitable for the conditions, particularly against McMullen’s nibbly new-ball medium-pace.
He fell for a run-a-ball 16, and Travis Head, who had battered Scotland for 80 off 25 in the first T20I, was out for a first-ball duck, bowled by a peach of an in ducker from left-arm quick Brad Currie. Currie was one of five players in Scotland’s XI who hadn’t played on Wednesday.
Three of the incomers were bowlers, and the revamped attack continued to make the Australia batters not named Josh Inglis work for their runs. Cameron Green scratched his way to 36 off 29, and Marcus Stoinis finished with an unbeaten 20 off 20. They would eventually have their revenge with the ball, picking up a combined 6 for 39 in 5.4 overs.
Josh Inglis, though, seemed to bat on another pitch, against another attack. Where his team-mates seemed to lack options if they were denied room to free their arms, Josh Inglis kept finding the boundary by means of quick feet and quicker hands. He manipulated the field expertly with his movements around the crease and his use of the scoop and reverse-scoop. When the Scotland bowlers tried to cramp him by going short and into his body, he generated incredible bat-speed through his short-arm whips and pulls.
Despite this, Australia had only got to 179 when Chris Sole ended Josh Inglis’ innings in the 19th over. Sole, introduced only in the 11th over and bowling just three overs, was perhaps Scotland’s best bowler on the day, quicker than his colleagues and as a result more impactful when he used his pace variations.
In the end, Australia got close to 200 thanks to a cameo from Tim David, who clubbed the first two balls of the final over, bowled by Brad Wheal, for six, the second one soaring well beyond the midwicket boundary and landing outside the ground.
Marcus Stoinis 4-wicket haul sets up easy Australian series win
Much to the delight of the supporters who turned up at Grange Cricket Club, Scotland showed glimpses of a fight. Unfortunately, for them, those glimpses were only fleeting as they crashed and burned their way to a paltry riposte. George Munsey set the tone for the chase with two sixes and a four off Xavier Bartlett in the opening over. Aaron Hardie, who came in for Riley Meredith, struck at the other end to take out Michael Jones in just the second over.
Bartlett then knocked the winds out of Scotland’s sails by having Munsey caught at mid-off. Brandon McMullen then took it upon himself to keep Scotland afloat and Australia on their toes as he smashed a masterful 42-ball 59.
He got his shots away on both sides of the wicket but Marcus Stoinis arrived to put another spanner in the works by dismissing Richie Berrington in the sixth over. McMullen pushed back in the post-PowerPlay period by picking the gaps well but Australia kept denting the hosts at the other end as Adam Zampa took out Charlie Tear in the 10th over
McMullen brought up a 38-ball 50 in the 12th over but fell in the very next, trying to catch up with the rising asking rate. His departure was the starting point of the severe collapse as Scotland lost their last five wickets for just 20 runs. Each of the six Aussie bowlers picked at least a wicket each, with Stoinis walking away with figures of 4 for 23 in 3.4 overs.
Sent in, Australia set Scotland 197 to draw level after their shellacking in Wednesday’s series-opener. The home side had their moments in the chase, particularly during a 42-ball 59 from Brandon McMullen, but they could never quite keep up with the asking rate. On an occasionally two-paced pitch that offered a bit of seam movement, Australia’s seamers used their height advantage expertly, bowling hard lengths and extracting every ounce of help they could find.
Scotland managed the odd spurt of quick scoring – George Munsey whipped Xavier Bartlett for two leg-side sixes in the first over, and McMullen used his feet against the quicks and hit four sixes, the pick of them a front-foot pull over wide long-on off Aaron Hardie – but Australia kept chipping out regular wickets, bowling into the pitch and inducing miscues.
When Sean Abbott employed this modus operandi to end McMullen’s charge in the 13th over, the contest was all but over. From there, the end was swift, with Scotland losing their last six wickets for just 20 runs and being bowled out for 126 in 16.4 overs.
Presentations and Road Ahead
Richie Berrington loosing Scotland skipper said : There were improvements today, we were much better with the ball in hand, got a couple of early wickets, but credit to Josh Inglis he played a brilliant knock and took the bowlers on and got a lot of boundaries through the middle overs which really made the difference and they were probably 20-30 above par.
The character the guys showed was great, I thought we came back really well from the other day. Sole was really impressive with the ball. We gonna keep getting better and hopefully we will come back tomorrow and finish off well.
Mitchell Marsh the winning Australia skipper said : It was a really good game of cricket. The way Inglis and Green bailed us out of trouble and the way Inglis played was unbelievable. I think we got a youngish group here and we also spoke about flexibility in the whole tour. There maybe a couple of changes, not too sure and maybe I’ll have to ask the coach. The focus is on winning the series 3-0 and we are gonna talk about that.
Josh Inglis Player of the Match for his 100 said : (Fastest Australian T20I centurion) Pretty special to be honest. I didn’t know about it. To hold that record now, it’s really nice. Doesn’t happen too often, there was a bit happening early doors, we lost a couple of wickets. Me and Greeny spoke about building a partnership.
Once the new ball wore off, it got easier in the middle period. Was just looking to play good cricket shots and show some good intent. Really good opportunity for me to get some game time in and try to cement my place in the squad. Really tough, a lot of good players in the squad.
Only two double-digit scores, both of which have come from the top 3. To rub more salt into the wounds, just one batter got past 20. You don’t win too many games chasing 197 with such sorry scorecard in any format of the game. McMullen put up a show with an array of clean hits down the ground, but he needed someone to support him at the other end.
Unfortunately for the hosts, they kept crumbling at regular intervals and never really stole the grip from the mighty Aussies. On a positive note, this has been an improved show from Scotland. They were thrashed mercilessly in the first game after posting 154, but today their bowling looked in a decent shape with the arrival of Bradley Currie. With the bat, they needed someone to dig deep and allow McMullen to play his natural game
The hosts, however, impressed with their death bowling, restricting Australia from reaching a potential 210 or 220 after being 144/3 at the 14-over mark. Josh Inglis now holds the record for the fastest T20I century by an Australian, surpassing previous records held by Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell. Will Australia clean sweep 3-0, or can Scotland record their first-ever win against Australia remains the question when these two sides meet for the 3rd and Final T20I.