Admin November 1, 2024
Scotland allrounder Brandon McMullen’s reputation as one of the fastest rising stars in Associate cricket only grew stronger on Thursday in Texas as his 151 off 140 balls laid the platform for a convincing win over USA.
Photo credit: Peter Della Penna
By Peter Della Penna in Grand Prairie, Texas (Twitter/X @PeterDellaPenna)
Scotland allrounder Brandon McMullen showed why he’s one of the fastest rising stars on the Associate circuit by belting a career-best 151 off 140 balls for his third ODI century to set up an imposing first innings total of 317 for 5 before the visitors bowled out USA for 246 in reply to complete a 71-run Scotland win and a two-match Scotland sweep of USA during the ongoing ICC. Cricket World Cup League Two ODI tri-series at Grand Prairie Stadium on Thursday. McMullen compiled 11 fours and six sixes in his innings, eclipsing a previous best of 136 against Oman at the 2023 ICC World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe.
USA won the toss and sent Scotland in to bat after making two changes to their lineup. Sushant Modani came back into the XI after sitting out the loss to Nepal while 17-year-old Utkarsh Srivastava was handed his ODI debut cap. Milind Kumar and Andries Gous were left out of the USA XI. According to a USA Cricket statement, both players were out due to injury but while Kumar was on the team bench through the day, Gous never came to the ground and multiple sources have stated that he has left the USA squad for the remainder of the series due to personal reasons and has been replaced in the squad by Aaron Jones.
Andrew Umeed, who top-scored in the 10-wicket win over USA a week earlier, was the first wicket to fall in the fifth over, edging behind a length ball for 18 that was angled across by Saurabh Netravalkar to make it 27 for 1. McMullen arrived at No. 3 and along with Charlie Tear, the pair proceeded to grind down USA’s bowling unit during a century stand. McMullen offered a half-chance relatively early when he was on 18 in the 16th over off the bowling of Nosthush Kenjige, but Sanjay Krishnamurthi slightly misjudged the path of the ball at deep midwicket and could not get a hand to it as it landed just inside the rope for two runs.
McMullen wound up bringing up his half-century first, off 63 balls in the 25th over with a single off of Harmeet Singh. Tear had gone to 49 off 73 balls by the end of the 26th, during which he blasted Harmeet for six straight down the ground. But Tear became bogged down across the next several overs, playing out ten straight dot balls before eventually bringing up a half-century off 84 balls in the 29th. He was unable to get momentum going again and only added one more run before chipping a low return catch to Kenjige in the 31st to make it 131 for 2.
After a seven-over stretch without a Scotland boundary, McMullen got Scotland’s innings back on track with a six off Harmeet in the 34th. McMullen and captain Richie Berrington then attacked Kenjige in his final over. After conceding just 33 off his first nine overs, the Scotland pair hit him for two fours and a six during a 16-run frame in the 37th. McMullen then brought up a century off 115 balls in the 42nd over by pulling Jessy Singh for four to move to 99 and then tapped a single into the covers two balls later to reach the milestone. However the 80-run partnership came to an end off the final ball of the over when Berrington drove Jessy Singh to Krishnamurthi at long-on for 26 to make it 211 for 3.
Instead of slowing down with the fall of the wicket, Scotland only continued to accelerate as the visitors added 104 off the final eight overs. McMullen crushed two sixes off van Schalkwyk during a 20-run over in the 43rdand dominated a 52-run stand with Michael Jones across the next 28 legal deliveries. Jones contributed just 11 in that span before he skied a drive to Krishnamurthi at cover sweeper in the 47th over to give Saurabh Netravalkar a second wicket.
But Scotland only pressed harder on the accelerator as Michael Leask was sent in above Matthew Cross to give a power boost. It proved extremely effective as Leask launched Jessy for six in the 48th before hitting two more sixes off Netravalkar during a 19-run 49th. The second of those sixes came one ball after McMullen was dropped on 142 off a regulation skied chance inside the ring that was put down by Sai Mukkamalla jogging in from extra cover.
Scotland rubbed salt into the wound in the final over as McMullen hit Jessy Singh for back-to-back fours to begin the final over to achieve his 150 off of just 139 balls, taking just 24 deliveries to score his final 50 runs. He was bowled on the next delivery attempting to switch hit Jessy over short third man. Mark Watt arrived and scooped a four over fine leg, then hit a single to put Leask on strike for the final ball of the innings. Leask duly pumped Jessy for six down the ground to cap off an electric 33 not out off 11 balls, including four sixes which put an exclamation point on the Scotland innings.
Netravalkar had USA’s best figures with 2 for 69 in his 10 overs. Jessy Singh finished with 2 for 85 in 10 overs and in doing so became just the second Associate player, and fourth men’s player overall, to concede 85 or more runs during a full 10-over spell on three separate occasions in ODIs. Kenjige finished with 1 for 49 while fellow left-arm spinner Harmeet also conceded 49 without a wicket in his 10 overs. Van Schalkwyk gave away 58 in 10 overs including a maiden.
USA’s chase got off to a shaky start as Modani was spilled in the first over before he had scored a run when Cross spilled a tough chance after coming to stand up to the stumps to left-arm pacer Brad Currie. Another strong appeal for caught behind was given not out a few overs later when opening partner Shayan Jahangir was on just 1. But after two boundaries off Currie in the fifth, Jahangir finally succumbed for 9, bowled by a length ball to make it 23 for 1. Van Schalkwyk was sent in at No. 3 ahead of Monank in an effort to disrupt Currie with a left-handed bat, but the ploy failed for USA as van Schalkwyk was given lbw for a third ball duck, defending down the wrong line to Currie in the seventh over to make it 25 for 2.
USA captain Monank Patel helped swing momentum back toward the home side with a rapid start to his innings, hitting two boundaries each off of Currie and McMullen in the ninth and 10th overs as USA ended the Powerplay at 59 for 2, well ahead of Scotland’s first innings pace. But another hiccup occurred in the 13thwhen Modani wasted a start but miscuing a slog sweep in left-arm spinner Mark Watt’s first over and picked out McMullen at short midwicket for 25 to make it 70 for 3. Watt claimed his second victim in the 19th over when Mukkamalla was cramped for room trying to cut an arm ball slanted in and chopped onto his stumps for 10 to make it 100 for 4. Moments after bringing up a 40-ball half-century, Monank then fell in the 24th, driving pace bowler Jack Jarvis low to extra cover where Berrington pulled off a splendid diving catch for 52 to make it 115 for 5 in the 24th.
Srivastava joined Krishnamurthi in the middle and nearly lost his wicket before he had a chance to get going when he yanked a half-tracker from Leask to deep square leg on 5, but Tear’s diving effort popped out of his hands when the fielder’s elbows landed on the turf trying to complete the catch and it allowed Srivastava to stay in the middle. The two youngsters went on to produce a 75-run partnership for the sixth wicket in which Krishnamurthi was the aggressor, pulling and driving Watt and Leask repeatedly for boundaries.
Srivastava offered another tough chance on 30 in the 35th over when Currie could not hold onto a one-handed effort at knee height driven back in his follow-through. Krishnamurthi was one away from a would-be maiden ODI half-century when he fell just after the final drinks break, cutting a half-tracker from McMullen softly to Leask at backward point for 49 to make it 190 for 6 in the 37th.
Harmeet arrived and picked up where he left off from his rapid half-century against Nepal, hitting the fourth ball he saw from McMullen back over the bowler’s head for six. Srivastava then brought up his maiden ODI half-century off 50 balls by pulling Jarvis for six over backward square leg as USA ended the 40th over at 222 for 6, needing another 96 for victory.
At the same stage of the first innings, Scotland had only reached 198. But crucially the visitors had only lost two wickets. Although USA was well ahead of Scotland’s pace, the early fall of wickets significantly dented their chances. However, the last crucial blow was struck in the 41st over by Leask. One delivery after a dot ball that was not given a wide, Harmeet decided to charge down the wicket and was beaten badly in flight, flailing in vain to be out stumped for 14 making it 225 for 7.
The USA tail then quickly subsided as Srivastava ran out of partners. Jessy Singh fell for 1 in the following over, slashing wildly at a short ball from Jarvis to give another catch behind to Cross. Srivastava forged ahead, hitting his sixth and final four off Watt in the 43rd. But Jarvis followed him backing away from his stumps to start the 44th and his attempted slap over the off side floated tamely to Berrington at extra cover to bring an end to his debut ODI knock for 67 off 63 balls. Last man Netravalkar managed a boundary off his fourth ball before Jarvis knocked back off stump with a length delivery to end the match as USA was bowled out for 246 in just 44 overs.
Jarvis followed up his early wicket of Monank with three wickets at the death to end with 4 for 40 in seven overs. New-ball bowler Currie ended with 2 for 45 in eight while Watt claimed a crucial 2 for 48 in eight. Leask returned 1 for 35 in seven while McMullen followed up his century with 1 for 48 in seven. Brad Wheal was the only wicketless bowler for Scotland, though he was by far their most economical with 0 for 27 off seven overs.
USA is scheduled to return to action on Saturday November 2 against Nepal at 10:30 am, though rain is in the forecast in the Dallas area for the weekend.
