In their T20 World Cup 2026 match in Bristol on Tuesday (June 23), Scotland once again showed flashes of brilliance, but despite staying in the game, they were eliminated by New Zealand. In pursuit of a modest target, the defending champions reached home by six wickets after being reduced to 26/3, preserving their semifinal hopes and eliminating Scotland. Darcey Carter continued to dominate the tournament, leading a single effort in the Scots' otherwise average batting performance when asked to bat. She started with a boundary in the first over, but Katherine Fraser couldn't get going at the other end, even though wicketkeeper Isabella Gaze gave her a break. Before slamming the only six of the innings in the fifth, Carter collected two boundaries in the fourth over—one from an inside edge and another from a fine tickle. Carter scored 36 runs for Scotland, which finished the Powerplay on a respectable 45/0 score. Tahuhu broke the 51-run stand, accounting for her 100th T20I scalp to put Fraser (7 off 17) out of her misery. Scotland reached 63 at the end of the 10th over after Izzy Sharp held on at deep square leg and struck the fatal blow to dismiss Kathryn Bryce. Nensi Patel missed a regulation opportunity at backward point, but New Zealand's catching woes continued throughout the tournament. The drop's beneficiary, Sarah Bryce, picked up a few boundaries while Carter tried to kick herself and reached her half-century. However, as soon as Sophie Devine entered the game in the 15th over, any potential Scottish charge was effectively halted. She dismissed Sarah leg before off her first ball before prising out Ailsa Lister in the same over. Due to Priyanaz Chatterji's incessant sweep strategy failing to pay off, Megan McColl was bowled sweeping a ball that was pitched too full on the leg stump. As a result, Scotland never achieved the thrust that they desired. Amelia Kerr sent down a double-wicket maiden in the 19th over to highlight an excellent outing for the bowlers. Scotland were restricted to 131 runs despite Carter batting through and remaining unbeaten on 72. It was anticipated that New Zealand would scale the target without incident. However, they were rocked in the Powerplay when Kathryn made Amelia Kerr's decision to open irrelevant by catching the New Zealand captain at midfield off a giant swing. Before Gaze scored the first boundary of the chase in the fourth over, Scotland's seamers bowled extremely tightly as New Zealand failed to advance quickly. Before the subsequent one flew past Hannah Rainey and to the fence, Gaze hammered one back at her, evading with a raised hand. However, Kathryn regained her first wicket by causing Gaze to hit a false shot to mid-on off his bat. New Zealand's situation got even worse when Devine was hit by a Rachel Slater shot that bounced back in, leaving the defending champions reeling at 26/3. In the Powerplay, Slater had a chance for a fourth, but goalkeeper Sarah Bryce missed it by diving to her left with Brooke Halliday on 2. Sharp used regular strike rotation to lead New Zealand's recovery before finding the odd boundary. Conditions improved once the ball stopped moving, but New Zealand played singles rather than taking unnecessary risks. Sharp batted at a steady pace while Halliday batted at a slower rate, but both batters gave New Zealand a 50-plus stand at just over a run-a-ball, which gave them some sense of security. Due to their modest goal, New Zealand reached 83/3 in 14 overs, but the asking rate never reached excessive levels. Halliday quickly followed Rainey up with consecutive boundaries, the first of which came on Rainey's 27th delivery. Surprisingly, Kathryn chose not to bowl her final over as the game drew closer, holding back a few overs of Slater as well. After that, Fraser made a mistake in her execution, and the two batters took advantage of the chances that came their way. Sharp celebrated her 50th birthday in style by scoring a boundary off Kristie Gordon and adding another as New Zealand needed only 13 runs to complete the final three overs. In the slog overs, Slater and Kathryn both returned, but it was too late. Slater was bowled immediately after Sharp lofted her effortlessly for a delightful six over long off, but New Zealand completed the task with ten deliveries remaining.