NEW DELHI: Adil Rashid’s superb three-wicket burst and Liam Dawson’s twin strikes triggered a dramatic collapse as England bowled out Scotland for 152 in 19.4 overs in their crucial Group C T20 World Cup clash on Saturday.

Scotland were cruising at 113 for 3 and looked well on course to cross the 200-run mark, with skipper Richie Berrington and Tom Bruce batting fluently against their ‘Auld’ rivals.

But a total that once seemed imposing quickly shrank to a modest one as England’s spin pair flipped the script in the middle overs of this must-win encounter.

After leaking 26 runs in his opening two overs, Rashid switched to the High Court End and completely changed the tempo of the match.

Against the flow of play, he dismissed Berrington for a 32-ball 49 (5×4, 2×6), leaving him stranded one short of a half-century.

In his very next over, Rashid struck twice in the space of three balls, removing Matthew Cross and Mark Watt.

Watt was undone comprehensively, the ball sneaking through the gate to rattle his stumps.

Rashid ended with figures of 3/36, while left-arm spinner Dawson (2/34) made his mark with two wickets in two overs.

The spin twins combined for five wickets in four overs as Scotland crashed from 113/3 to 127/8, losing five wickets for just 14 runs in a dramatic middle-overs meltdown.

Jamie Overton (1/23) also applied the squeeze as Scotland never quite recovered from the slump.

Archer’s Early Burst Rocks Scotland

England had earlier struck twice in quick succession through Jofra Archer, who removed in-form opener George Munsey (4) and Brandon McMullen (0) in the space of three balls during the powerplay.

Michael Jones (33 off 20 balls) attempted to shift momentum, taking on Sam Curran with two fours and a six in the final over of the powerplay before falling in the same over.

Scotland were 42/3 at the end of the powerplay.

Berrington-Bruce Stand and Archer’s Milestone

The real surge came when Berrington decided to counterattack the spinners, making full use of their flight.

He targeted Rashid effectively, striking him for a boundary and a six in an 18-run over, with Bruce adding another maximum.

The duo stitched together a brisk 71-run stand off just 41 balls for the fourth wicket, putting Scotland in a commanding position before the collapse unfolded.

The surface offered extra pace and bounce, something Archer used cleverly with sharp short balls in his opening spell.

The pacer also achieved a milestone, becoming only the third English fast bowler after Stuart Broad and Mark Wood to claim 50 wickets across all three formats.

(With PTI Inputs)