Spirited Scotland give New Zealand a scare

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Feb-2015Trent Boult did not disappoint them, striking twice in his first over•ICCIt was not long before Tim Southee joined the party and Scotland were reduced to 12 for 4•Getty ImagesMatt Machan then restored some sanity to the innings, compiling 56•ICCRichie Berrington gave him good company, with a steady 50•Getty ImagesThe duo combined well in a 97-run partnership for the fifth wicket•ICCHowever, Corey Anderson dismissed both the set batsmen in successive overs and another collapse ensued•Getty ImagesDaniel Vettori also sparkled, ending with figures of 3 for 24, as Scotland were skittled out for 142 inside 37 overs. Four Scotland batsmen bagged golden ducks, the first such instance in World Cups•Getty ImagesThey did go down but not without making a fist of the challenge. Iain Wardlaw removed Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill cheaply•Getty ImagesKane Williamson, however, lent some stability to the innings, before stepping down the track to nick one to Matthew Cross•Getty ImagesJosh Davey ably assisted Wardlaw to shut out the hosts’ middle-order•Getty ImagesGrant Elliott, though, scored 29 to take New Zealand to the brink of victory•Getty ImagesAfter he succumbed to Davey, Vettori completed a rickety chase in rickety fashion – an edged four over the slips. New Zealand won by three wickets, even as the Associates continue to make the right noises•Getty ImagesBoult, who had picked up an IPL contract worth US $633,000 overnight, claimed the Man-of-the-Match award•Getty Images