SCOTLAND stayed on course for automatic World Cup qualification with a rain-affected win over Namibia at Windhoek yesterday.
Solid knocks from Fraser Watts, Calum MacLeod and Josh Davey were enough to ensure that they were 34 runs ahead when rain curtailed their innings after 26 overs.
Chasing 258 for victory, Scotland made the worst possible start when Kyle Coetzer was out in the second over. He has been in sparkling form this season with eight scores above 50 but he departed for a duck, caught by Louis ven der Westhuizen off Kola Burger.
Watts, newly arrived from Scotland, and Calum MacLeod, the former Warwickshire all-rounder, set about rebuilding the innings.
The latter refused to let the home bowlers settle and contributed 46 -- his highest score for Scotland -- to a partnership of 80 when he edged a ball from Christi Viljoen to the wicketkeeper.
Davey, the Middlesex all-rounder, proved that the knee injury which prevented him from bowling was no impediment to scurrying between the wickets.
He had just a couple of boundaries in his unbeaten 35, the remainder coming in 1s and 2s. Watts’ unbeaten 46 included four 4s and propelled the Scots to 137-2 when rain intervened.
Earlier, the Scotland bowlers were given a predictably tough time by a Namibian batting line-up renowned for some prodigious hitting.
Gordon Goudie managed to keep openers Pikky Ya France and Viljoen in check but Saffy Sharif, the Dunfermline youngster, came in for some early punishment. He was removed from the attack only for the captain Gordon Drummond to come under heavy fire, too.
Namibia reached 49 in nine overs when Richie Berrington made the breakthrough, trapping Ya France in front for 18, but a century stand between Viljoen and Sarel Burger threatened to take the game away from the Scots.
Drummond turned to Majid Haq, Namibia’s Intercontinental Cup tormentor, in the hope of re-establishing control but the Africans would not be dictated to and the spinner conceded runs at an unaccustomed rate.
The stand was broken by Berrington who ripped through Viljoen’s defences to bowl him for 78. He had hit 10 4s and one 6 but his departure heralded the arrival of van der Westhuizen who hit a rapid 24, included two 6s, and forced Scotland on to the back foot again.
However, the capture of three wickets for just four runs restored order. Haq had Burger (58) and van der Westhuizen caught by Watts and Goudie clean-bowled Craig Williams for a duck.
Namibia’s hopes of a total approaching 300 were further dented when Haq removed Gerrie Snyman, courtesy of MacLeod’s fine catch. Sharif picked up two wickets though some late hitting from Ray van Schoor and Gerhard Erasmus took the home side on to a competitive 257.
The Scots, having already beaten Netherlands twice in the qualifying tournament, will try to complete a double against Namibia in today’s return match.
Intercontinental One-Day League, Windhoek
Scotland beat Namibia by 34 runs (D/L Method)
Namibia
P Ya France lbw b Berrington 18
C Viljoen b Berrington 78
S Burger c Watts b Haq 58
L van der Westhuizen c Goudie b Haq 24
C Williams b Goudie 0
G Snyman c MacLeod b Haq 9
R Van Schoor c Mommsen b Berrington 23
G Erasmus c Goudie b Sharif 18
P Rossouw not out 12
L Klazinga b Sharif 0
K Burger run out 0
Extras (lb8 w9) 17
Total all out (50 overs) 257
Fall 1-49, 2-151, 3-184, 4-186, 5-188, 6-205, 7-240, 8-245, 9-252, 10-257
Bowling Goudie 9-0-33-2, Sharif 9-0-53-2, Drummond 9-0-47-0, Berrington 9-1-31-2, Haq 10-0-66-3, Coetzer 4-0-19-0
Scotland
F Watts not out 46
K Coetzer c van der Westhuizen b K Burger 0
C MacLeod c van Schoor b Viljoen 46
J Davey not out 35
Extras (lb5, w4, nb1) 10
Total for two wickets (26 overs) 137
Fall 1-2, 2-82
Bowling Klazinga 5-1-17-0, K Burger 7-0-41-1, van der Westhuizen 3-0-18-0, Viljoen 3-0-11-1, S Burger 3-0-17-0, Rossouw 3-0-17-0, Snyman 2-0-11-0
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