Sai Mukkamalla came tantalisingly close to engineering one of the USA’s biggest one-day chase successes, firing a stunning hundred before Scotland held their nerve to seal a dramatic two-run victory. The result followed a powerful Scotland batting display in a rain-affected match, where Matthew Cross struck with late urgency and helped the side post 321 in 47 overs, after which USA fell just short despite a spirited fightback.
Key takeaways
- Scotland finished on 321 runs in 47 overs in a rain-affected contest.
- Matthew Cross struck 58 off 32 balls to turn a chase that looked reachable into a match-winning total.
- USA’s chase was led by Sai Mukkamalla’s counterattacking century, but he was dismissed on the second ball of the final over.
- Scotland secured a thrilling win by two runs after surviving a late surge from USA.
- Rain forced a revised target, and USA were left with a near-impossible equation after the restart.
Scotland’s big total: intent early, acceleration late
Scotland’s innings was marked by early intent, setting the tone almost immediately. George Munsey opened the scoring with a boundary on the fourth delivery of the innings and then targeted Milind Kumar, striking successive fours in the fifth over. However, Munsey’s stay ended when he was dismissed at fine leg off Saurabh Netravalkar against the flow of play.
Brandon McMullen wasted little time in making an impact. He started with a powerful pull over the midwicket boundary before unleashing a rapid burst between overs 15 and 19. During that stretch, his scoring rate exploded from 14 off 19 balls to 41 off 21, with a flurry of boundaries changing the rhythm of the innings. McMullen reached his half-century soon after, but his dismissal arrived at a tricky moment: a drive powered straight back to mid-off off Jasdeep Singh.
Richie Berrington followed with a softer departure, giving Shubham Ranjane an uncomplicated return catch off an unthreatening delivery. Those two wickets put a temporary brake on Scotland’s momentum. Michael English attempted to push the tempo with a couple of sixes, one of which sailed through Sai Mukkamalla’s hands. It did not cost USA heavily, though, as English was dismissed the very next over when he skied Milind for a catch completed by Ranjane.
Even as wickets kept falling around him, Charlie McReath provided stability, holding the innings together with a tough 77 off 102 balls. Yet the decisive shift came from wicketkeeper Matthew Cross, whose whirlwind 58 off 32 balls transformed Scotland’s position from a competitive 270 into a formidable 321 in 47 overs.
Cross made the most of the death overs, punishing bowling that lacked extra pace on a surface offering little assistance for the seamers. Michael Leask and Mark Watt then finished the innings strongly, taking 22 runs off Jasdeep’s final over to carry momentum into the chase.
USA’s chase: start strong, stumble, then a near-miracle
Chasing 322, USA struck early. Smit Patel struck a pair of boundaries in the opening over off Brad Currie, and he looked to continue his momentum after a masterful hundred in the tour match against Nepal. USA did lose Shayan Jahangir, who fell to an awkward, ugly-looking hoick off Currie. But Patel kept attacking, hitting seven boundaries in his opening spell, including a crisp six launched on the up that thudded into the sightscreen.
Patel raced to a half-century in 38 balls, welcoming Safyaan Sharif with an elegant on-drive past mid-on before following it with a cracking square drive off the next delivery. Sharif then adjusted quickly and struck again, persuading Monank Patel into mistiming a lofted drive. That dismissal left USA at 81 for 2 in the 12th over.
Monank’s wicket didn’t just disrupt the chase—it also interfered with Smit Patel’s rhythm. After that point, Patel was largely starved of strike, and when he eventually fell seven overs later, he had faced only 10 deliveries in the interim. Oliver Davidson ended Patel’s 72-ball spell by trapping him in front.
Shehan Jayasuriya, making his USA debut after a former Sri Lanka career, failed to make an impression and was dismissed cheaply. He chipped tamely off Mark Watt to mid-off, handing Scotland an easy wicket.
That left Sai Mukkamalla to chase the asking rate. He had been playing behind the required pace for much of his stay, sitting on 10 off 20 before finally finding rhythm with a big heave over long-on off Sharif. Mukkamalla’s innings then gathered steam, and once Oliver Davidson dismissed Patel, the pressure shifted more squarely onto him.
His half-century arrived off 55 balls just before rain interrupted proceedings. At that stage, USA were 160 for 4 in the 27th over, still needing about 162 runs from 21 overs.
Revised target after rain and the final-over thriller
When play resumed, USA were set a revised target of 249 in 32 overs—effectively requiring 89 off 32 balls. Milind Kumar fell shortly after the restart, misdirecting a scoop to short fine leg. With the situation tightening further, Mukkamalla had little choice but to attack.
The youngster showed composure under heavy pressure, finding clean boundaries through cover and down the ground while continuing to take 18 runs off Sharif in one over. Even as the required rate climbed beyond 20, he resisted reckless hitting and instead relied on the full range of his strokeplay.
The surge peaked when Mukkamalla completed his hundred off 72 balls, smashing back-to-back sixes against Watt—an impressive display that looked even more striking given the manner and timing of his hitting. He almost completed the impossible, dragging USA close with 16 needed from the final over. But Scotland’s finish arrived at the critical moment: Mukkamalla was dismissed on the second ball of the last over, holing out in the deep off McMullen, allowing Scotland to close the game with a thrilling two-run win.
