Australia has made it through the group stages of the T20 World Cup undefeated after surviving a huge scare against Scotland to record a five-wicket win in St Lucia.
The Aussies were sloppy in the field and dropped six catches as Scotland set a mammoth 181 to win from its 20 overs.
While Australia had already locked themselves into the Super 8 stages of the tournament, England needed the Aussies to win again to ensure their own progression.
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And there would no doubt have been some nerves in the England hotel when the Scots reduced the Aussies to 3-60 in the ninth over.
With Marcus Stoinis (59 from 29) and Travis Head (68 off 49) at the crease, Australia needed 95 from the final eight overs at a required rate of just under 12.
Stoinis first showed his hand by belting back-to-back sixes in the 13th over, and by the time Head belted three sixes to begin the 16th over, momentum was with the Aussies.
After Head and Stoinis both fell, Tim David (24* from 14) continued to swing hard to get his side home. Having been dropped the ball before trying to do the same thing, he hit the winning runs with a huge six over the cover boundary.
It was the second-highest successful chase of the tournament.
Stoinis was awarded player of the match.
“It was the usual get yourself in, hit some nice shots, try and hit the ball hard along the ground, and then assess the situation,” Stoinis said.
“We saw they batted really well so we knew the wicket was going to be good.
“We sort of felt like once you get yourself in, face a couple of balls, get used to the conditions, then look to target (the side with the wind).”
Stoinis said once Head started to open up, he was happy enough to play a supporting role to keep the strike ticking.
He said he and his teammates would take a great deal of confidence into the Super 8s.
“I’ve been fortunate to be playing consistently over this last probably three or four months, I’ve had good game time, but there’s no substitute for confidence,” he said.
“That’s the recipe we’re all trying to get a hold of.”
Earlier, Ashton Agar took a wicket in the first over when Michael Jones chopped on from the last ball.
Mitchell Starc conceded only two from his first over, before Brandon McMullen – who has starred for the Scots throughout the tournament – belted Nathan Ellis for six in the third.
As McMullen and George Munsey looked to go after the Australian bowlers, the first two of the six dropped chances came in Starc’s second over.
First, Munsey was dropped by Mitch Marsh at mid-off, and then McMullen by Travis Head at cover.
That death or glory approach took the Scots to 1-54 in the power play. McMullan brought up Scotland’s fastest ever T20 World Cup fifty – off only 26 balls – with a single off the final ball of the eighth over.
Glenn Maxwell got the breakthrough when Munsey was caught in the deep in the ninth over. He and McMullen had put on 89 for the second wicket.
Scotland were 2-96 at the midway point.
Zampa picked up the crucial wicket of McMullen for 60 off only 24 balls, when a thick outside edge lobbed to a short third-man. Mitchell Starc was forced to dive to take the catch.
It was at this point the Aussies fielding woes reached a crescendo, when they dropped three catches in successive balls.
First, Zampa misjudged a hook from Matthew Cross and helped it over the rope. Marsh then grassed a diving chance off Richie Berrington and appeared to injure his finger. Matthew Wade made the trifecta when he missed a gloved chance down the leg-side.
It was case of fourth-time lucky though, Cross was out from the next ball when Agar held on at deep mid-wicket.
The Aussies managed to pin back the scoring rate slightly, but the Scots still posted a sensational score of 180.
In reply, the Aussies took only two runs from the first over before David Warner was out in the second when he skied a slog and was caught at cover.
Marsh got a life when he was dropped in the fifth over on 19, but Marsh had no such luck when he skied one into the deep an over later.
Like Warner and Marsh before him, Glenn Maxwell playing with his usual intent when he was bowled by a Mark Watt jaffa for 11, which reduced the Aussies to 3-60 in the ninth over.
Head and Stoinis then set about building a partnership, but scored only 33 runs in a tight over spell between the ninth and 13th overs.
Australia needed 95 from the final eight overs at a required rate of just under 12, but hope remained while they were both at the crease.
Stoinis looked to put the foot down in the 14th over, belting back-to-back sixes off spinner Michael Leask, including what can best be described as an upright reverse sweep that cleared the point boundary to bring up Australia’s 100.
Both were swinging hard, and luck was slowly turning towards the Aussies. A top-edge cleared the wicket-keeper for four, another drive down the ground pierced the fielders perfectly.
But they still needed 60 off the final five overs.
Safyaan Sharif was belted for 24 runs in the 16th over, but he did pick up the crucial wicket of Travis Head.
Head belted three sixes to begin the over, but holed out to long off for 68 chasing a fourth. That brought Tim David to the crease, the equation still 41 required from 26 balls.
Stoinis hit back-to-back boundaries in the 17th over do drop the equation to 26 off 19, but tried to reverse sweep a straight one from Watt and was bowled for 59.
David continued to swing hard and was himself rewarded with back-to-back boundaries in the 18th over, and all of a sudden the Aussies only needed 14 to win at a run-a-ball.
David and Matthew Wade began the final over needing only five to win. They hit singles off the first two balls, before David was dropped in the deep trying clear the rope to end the match.
He got two to level the score, but did indeed clear the rope with next ball, to steer the Aussies home with two balls to spare.
Australia’s first match of the Super 8 stage will be against the second place-getter of Group D, which will likely be Bangladesh.