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Maia Bouchier made a classy unbeaten 62 as England moved a step closer to the semi-finals of the Women's T20 World Cup with an emphatic 10-wicket win over Scotland.
Scotland were playing for pride in their final match of their first World Cup and saved their best batting performance for last as they compiled 109-6 - their highest score of the tournament.
A measured 33 from Kathryn Bryce provided the bulk of the total while younger sibling Sarah chipped in with 27 in Sharjah.
Sophie Ecclestone was the pick of England's bowlers as she claimed 2-13 while Lauren Bell, in her first appearance of this World Cup, took 1-13.
England's opening pair Bouchier and Danni Wyatt-Hodge made light work of the target, knocking off the runs in just 10 overs without much trouble.
Bouchier, in particular, ruthlessly punished Scotland's bowlers as she and Wyatt-Hodge both made unbeaten half-centuries.
The result means unbeaten England moved to the top of Group B on six points and are guaranteed to qualify for the knockout phase with victory over West Indies in their final pool match on Tuesday.
England could still progress even if they taste defeat in that match given their run net run-rate (NRR) was given a huge boost to +1.716 as they knocked off the runs with a mammoth 60 balls to spare.
More to follow.
The curious scheduling of this World Cup meant England came into this fixture having not played since a seven-wicket win over South Africa just under a week ago.
England captain Heather Knight acknowledged her players had filled the days outside of training on the golf course and in coffee shops.
So this was a useful encounter to rediscover their match rhythm, even if it felt inevitable England’s experience was always going to tell.
Including this match, England’s XI had a combined 849 appearances in T20Is compared to Scotland’s 406. Equally, the average age of Scotland’s players (23) was considerably lower than England’s (27).
Knight opted to get some overs into her seamers as England bowled nine overs of pace – they only bowled eight in their first two matches of the World Cupcombined.
Bell looked fairly sharp should circumstances require her in the remainder of the tournament, but the most encouraging part of a dominant England win was a welcome return to form for Bouchier.
It has been a low-key tournament for the England opener and she looked particularly scratchy in her last innings against South Africa.
This knock was decidedly more fluent, and she set the tone for England’s reply with three fours off Scotland opening bowler Rachel Slater’s first three balls.
Bouchier did offer a caught-and-bowled chance to Olivia Bell in the second over, which the Scotland spinner will lament as infinitely catchable.
However, the languid England opener did not let it affect her and brought up a first half-century at a World Cup – and her first fifty in 11 innings - off 30 balls by whipping Katherine Fraser behind square for four.
With Wyatt-Hodge's batting already sizzling in the United Arab Emirates, Knight will hope this is the start of a hot streak for Bouchier.
More to follow.
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