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It was an eventful second week of T20 World Cup 2024. Although the New York pitch behaved the same way, the surface at the Caribbean Islands provided balanced assistance to the bowlers and batters.
Group A and D games went down to the wire with the batters opting for a cautious approach. Meanwhile, a few of the Group B and C fixtures witnessed the batters dominating the proceedings.
There were quite a few good knocks played by the batters during the past week which impressed the cricket fraternity and fans. Let's take a look at the three best innings from Week 2 of T20 World Cup 2024.
#3 Brandon McMullen - 61* off 31 vs Oman
After a no-result and win against Namibia, Scotland faced the challenge of Oman on June 9 at Antigua. After the Oman side compiled a formidable total of 150, it was interesting to see if the Scottish side followed the same pattern as other teams to take the game deep.
However, they responded with an opposite approach, as opener George Munsey went all guns blazing with his ball-striking abilities. After Michael Jones's departure in the third over, Brandon McMullen came at No. 3.
The right-handed batter timed the ball beautifully and made room to find boundaries to utilize fielding restrictions. He showcased a no-holds-barred approach against the spinners in the middle overs and was in a hurry to seal the chase.
In the end, McMullen remained unbeaten on 61 off 31 as the Scottish side raced to the target under 14 overs. The dominating victory helped them remain in contention for Super 8 and improve their net run rate.
#2 Shakib Al Hasan - 64* off 46 vs Netherlands
The veteran all-rounder certainly ended his lean patch to play a match-winning knock for Bangladesh in a crucial game against the Netherlands on June 13 at Kingstown. Shakib Al Hasan came to the crease when the Tigers were at 23/2 in the fourth over. They certainly needed a credible knock from the batter, which would help them to rebuild the innings.
The fifth over saw Shakib piercing the gaps to find the extra-cover boundary and get things going. He provided a fantastic end to the powerplay for Bangladesh by hitting four fours from Logan van Beek in the following over. He used widish deliveries of Van Beek to his advantage, while also sending the bouncer for a boundary.
In the middle overs, the 37-year-old displayed positive intent against the spinners, while finishing off well against Bas de Leede. He remained unbeaten on 64 off 46, with nine fours, and helped Bangladesh to post 159 on the board, as they ultimately won by 25 runs. This win also helped them stake a strong claim for the Super 8 spot.
#1 Sherfane Rutherford - 68* off 39 vs New Zealand
The left-handed batter delivered one of the finest T20 World Cup knocks to take West Indies to the Super 8 on June 13 at Trinidad. After West Indies top-order crumbled under pressure and were left reeling at 22/4 in the sixth over, Sherfane Rutherford arrived the crease.
He took his sweet time in the first 10 balls to get a fine reading of the surface and hit a maximum against Mitchell Santner to push his confidence. Then, he did not allow the bowlers to dictate terms and rotated the strike well with the lower-order batters.
The highlight was certainly the last two overs, where Rutherford brought the Caribbean team alive. He hit three sixes off Daryl Mitchell in the penultimate over and then dispatched Santner for two fours and six in the final over. His imperious knock paved the way for the Caribbean outfit to post 149 and then win by 13 runs.
