In the ICC World Cup qualifiers on Wednesday, Michael Leask was Scotland’s standout batsman as they defeated Ireland with one ball remaining. With a victory over UAE, Oman extended their impressive streak.
In their Group B match, Scotland and Ireland engaged in a thrilling contest on Day Four of the ICC World Cup 2023 Qualifiers. Thanks to Michael Leask’s unbeaten knock of 91 not out, the Scots were able to pull off an incredible victory with the final ball.
In a different game that day, Oman defeated UAE by easily achieving a target of 228.
When Scotland lost their seventh wicket in the 34th over, it appeared as though Ireland had won the match handily. The game, though, became a thriller thanks to an amazing late-order comeback.
Scotland won an unlikely battle thanks to the valor of Leask. With this victory, Scotland has now won 13 of their last 14 One Day Internationals (ODIs) while batting second.
Mark Adair’s first over dismissal of Matthew Cross gave Ireland a strong start. Christopher McBride played with vigor and a steady scoring rate. Brandon McMullen was returned to the pavilion in the eleventh over when Adair struck again.
In the 18th over, McBride had reached his fifty, but Ireland’s Curtis Campher struck, dismissing him for 56. George Munsey (15) was then eliminated by Ben White, giving Ireland a commanding lead.
Richie Berrington, the captain of Scotland, and Tomas Mackintosh were both quickly dismissed by Josh Little’s outstanding bowling after the 25-over point, causing further setbacks for Scotland. Scotland had four remaining wickets and only needed 165 runs to win.
The lower order of Scotland began to fall apart, but a tenacious partnership of 82 runs off 67 balls between Michael Leask and Mark Watt kept Scotland’s hopes alive.
They quickly added runs by taking advantage of the favorable batting conditions. But in the 46th over, Dockrell ended the partnership by ejecting Watt for number 47. Leask persisted in fighting in spite of this.
In the 47th over, Leask struck Little twice for sixes and twice for fours, scoring 22 runs and reducing the needed runs to 22. A thrilling finish was made possible by Scotland’s 14 runs in the following two overs.
Leask hit a boundary off the first ball of the final over, giving Scotland the advantage with 8 runs still needed. Ireland fought back, taking a wicket and scoring just two runs off the following four deliveries.
With two runs needed off the deciding ball, Scotland’s good fortune prevailed as a lucky inside edge beat the keeper, securing a memorable victory.
At 33/4 in the first innings, Ireland was in trouble before being saved by Curtis Campher (120) and George Dockrell (69). For Scotland, Brandon McMullen shone with the ball, taking 5/34 in seven overs.
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