Sharp, Halliday rescue New Zealand to keep semifinal hopes alive

Sharp, Halliday rescue New Zealand to keep semifinal hopes alive

New Zealand defeated Scotland by six wickets in their T20 World Cup 2026 clash in Bristol on Tuesday, keeping their semifinal hopes alive while eliminating Scotland from the tournament.

Scotland innings: Asked to bat first, Scotland reached 131/7 in 20 overs. Darcey Carter remained unbeaten on 72, anchoring the innings after early promise. Amelia Kerr (3-17) and Sophie Devine (2-19) led New Zealand's bowling effort.

Key moments:

• Carter and Katherine Fraser (7) put on 51 for the first wicket
• Tahuhu claimed her 100th T20I scalp to break the opening stand
• New Zealand dropped multiple catches but recovered well
• Kerr delivered a double-wicket maiden in the 19th over

New Zealand chase: The defending champions were reduced to 26/3 inside the Powerplay after superb bowling from Kathryn Bryce (2-13) and Rachel Slater (2-22). But a 50-plus partnership between Izzy Sharp (62) and Brooke Halliday (41*) rescued the innings. Sharp hit a six over long off before being dismissed, but New Zealand reached the target with 10 balls to spare.

Brief Scores: Scotland 131/7 (Carter 72*; Kerr 3-17, Devine 2-19) lost to New Zealand 132/4 in 18.2 overs (Sharp 62, Halliday 41*; Bryce 2-13, Slater 2-22).