WT20 WC: England's openers shine as they race to victory against Scotland in Sharjah

Sharjah [UAE], October 13 : England, chasing a target of 110, reached the winning post in dramatic fashion with openers Maia Bouchier and Danni Wyatt-Hodge both scoring half-centuries, leading the team to a total of 113/0 in just ten overs against Scotland in the ongoing ICC Women's T20 World Cup in Sharjah on Sunday.
Bouchier was the initial aggressor, hitting 12 fours in her phenomenal 62* from just 34 balls.
Wyatt-Hodge lit the touchpaper after initially bedding in, ending with a faster strike rate, scoring 51* from just 26 deliveries.
The margin and speed of England's chase gave them a big and potentially decisive net run rate boost in Group, with one game against West Indies still to come, according to an ICC release.
This game brought the curtain down on Scotland's first-ever campaign at a major ICC Women's tournament, with plenty of positives to take despite a winless record.
Earlier, having won the toss and opted to bat in their first-ever T20I meeting, Scotland got off to a steady start against England in the desert climes of Sharjah.
Openers Sarah Bryce and Saskia Horley negotiated the powerplay unscathed, but struggled to up the scoring rate, putting on a partnership of 38 in eight overs before Horley was caught off Nat Sciver-Brunt for 13 (23).
Captain Kathryn Bryce added some impetus into the innings, finding the boundary with some stylish shots, aided first by her sister Sarah (27 from 31) and then Ailsa Lister (11 from 14).
But England kept on taking wickets to deny Scotland an opportunity to launch, and when Charlie Dean bowled Kathryn Bryce for a 28-ball 33 at the end of the 17th over, any chances of a sizeable score had largely evaporated.
Hard-run contributions down the order from Megan McColl (10* from 11) and Katherine Fraser (6* from 6) ensured Scotland did bring up their century, finishing on 109/6.
Once again it was Sophie Ecclestone who returned the pick of the figures for England with the ball, taking 2/13 in her four overs. Sciver-Brunt, Dean, Danielle Gibson and Lauren Bell also picked up wickets.
England would have been confident in their ability to chase down such a total against a much lower-ranked side, but few would have predicted the ease and speed with which they were able to do so, scoring at a rate not seen previously by any team at this tournament.
The impact of Bouchier will be a particular boon to England, for whom Wyatt-Hodge has done much of the heavy lifting at the top of the order in recent times.
Bouchier's strokeplay hinted at the threat England can pose to their main title rivals, and she was deservedly named Player of the Match for her superb 62*.
Scotland used six bowlers in all, with none having an economy rate under ten an over, as England flexed their muscles.
The manner of the result means that England now have the best net run rate in Group B, so could conceivably still lose to West Indies in their final group match and still qualify, as long as the margin of defeat is narrow enough that their NRR doesn't slip below South Africa's.