Boult was named Man of the Match for his bowling figures of 2-21 off six overs
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New Zealand looked extremely nervy and were nowhere near their best when it came to batting as they skirted past Scotland by three wickets in Dunedin.
New Zealand’s victory came courtesy of some exceptional all-round bowling, while Kane Williamson was the only batsman to show some poise and control.
New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum would have been delighted with his decision to bowl first after Scotland were reduced to 12/4 in the fifth over.
However, just when it seemed Scotland had no chance of posting a score above 100, Matt Machan and Richie Berrington put together a 97-run partnership, during which Machan brought up his half-century.
The partnership was finally ended when Machan was caught by McCullum at mid-on off the bowling of Corey Anderson.
Machan’s excellent knock of 56 came off 79 balls and included seven boundaries and a six.
Machan made a gutsy 56
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Berrington ended up making 50 off 80 deliveries, which included four boundaries and a six, before he was caught by Milne at fine leg off the bowling of Anderson.
Berrington scored a valiant 50
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Following Berrington’s dismissal, Scotland’s lower order completely collapsed as they went from 117/6 to being bowled out for 142.
Anderson and Daniel Vettori took three wickets apiece, while Tim Southee and Trent Boult chipped in with two wickets each.
Chasing 143 to win, New Zealand got off to a poor start as opening batsman Martin Guptill was caught behind off the bowling of Iain Wardlaw for 17.
McCullum scored 15 runs before he was also caught behind off the bowling of Wardlaw.
Ross Taylor fared no better as he was caught by Rob Taylor at cow corner off the bowling of Majid Haq for nine run.
Williamson was New Zealand’s top-scorer with 38 runs before he was caught behind off the bowling of Josh Davey.
Williamson hit six boundaries during his knock of 38
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Grant Elliott managed to make 29 runs before he was caught behind off the bowling of Wardlaw.
Anderson mustered 11 runs before he was caught by Wardlaw at fine leg off the bowling of Davey.
Davey struck again just two balls later when Ronchi was caught by Hamish Gardiner at deep midwicket for 12 runs.
Despite the late flurry of wickets, New Zealand managed to reach their target with 151 balls to spare.
Wardlaw and Davey snapped up three wickets apiece, while Haq claimed one.
Scotland skipper Preston Mommsen was disappointed to have batted so poorly, and said: “Tough start for us as we were unfortunate to lose a few early ones, but credit to Machan and Richie for batting through that difficult period. It showed that when we put the ball in the right areas we got our rewards. We are very proud of the fight we put up and the character these boys have shown. We are not shy of the fact that we are a very inexperienced team in World Cups. Glad to get this first one out of the way, and now we are ready for England.”
McCullum was pleased to have won the match, and said: “Credit to them to posting a good total that was tricky on this kind of surface. Pleased with the result in the end, but we definitely showed nerves towards the end. We will take the result, and points from the game. They are world-class bowlers (Boult, Southee), and they have stood up for a long time in Test cricket for us. It is outstanding when you are able to win the toss, choose to bowl, and then be backed up. Really good performance with the ball and in the field, but we need to improve on our batting. It should be a great challenge when we play the next one as the surfaces and conditions will also change. We are going to have to play incredibly well. This is certainly the strongest side I have ever played in.”
Boult was named Man of the Match, and said: “It felt pretty good. I thought the ball came out relatively nicely, plus the wicket assisted a bit too. Everyone contributed and we got the job done in the end. It did swing for a bit longer than expected, plus the pace was there. Glad things fell into place though. Really enjoying my form with the white ball, and I continue to hope to make the most of the opportunities that come my way.”