SCOTLAND eventually beat the rain and Nepal yesterday to go joint top of the World Cricket League (WCL) Championship. In a 50-over encounter frustratingly – and somewhat farcically – carried over from Friday evening, Preston Mommsen’s side made light work of knocking out the final 95 runs required for victory.
They did so inside an hour and with 5.1 overs to spare to win by nine wickets, the dozen overs or so being witnessed by no more than a handful of hardy souls.
It may have been anti-climactic in the end but the four points taken from their two encounters with Nepal – they had won a much tighter affair by three runs on Wednesday – could be vitally important for the Scots when this WCL Championship reaches its conclusion.
They must finish in the top two of the eight-team table to progress to a further qualification tournament for the 2019 World Cup and there was no disguising captain Mommsen’s delight.
“We’re very happy and very satisfied to come away with four points, which is obviously what we wanted at the start,” he said. “There were some challenges with the weather but we got through it. Credit to the groundstaff here for getting us on.”
The hard-working team at Cambusdoon in Ayr even managed to ensure a prompt start, a remark- able achievement given the deluge that interrupted play on Friday evening and continued well into the night. Scotland’s task was made no easier by Friday’s events when, having restricted Nepal to 167, their innings was delayed by four hours due to steady rain. However, the elements relented in time for play to resume with the Scots set a revised target of 110 from 22 overs. In the event only 10 deliveries were bowled before the heavens opened again.
Having reached 15-0 the previous evening, openers George Munsey and Kyle Coetzer set about chasing down the remaining runs with gusto, the latter striking the first delivery of the day to the boundary.
There was a shock when Coetzer then saw his stumps sent flying by a brute of a delivery from Sompal Kami to depart with the total on 20. However, that was to be the only success for the Nepal bowlers who struggled to find a consistent line and length, and also served up several wides and no-balls.
Matthew Cross, who has warmed to his number three role both in last month’s World T20 qualifier and against Nepal, came on to reach a deserved half- century, his fourth such score in List A matches. The former Aberdeenshire player finished unbeaten on 51, having faced just 37 deliveries and struck four boundaries and two maximums. Munsey struck the winning runs with his fifth four to reach 40no.
“Winning the toss and bowling first in pretty helpful conditions was an advantage for us and there was a little more carry in the wicket for our bowlers,” Mommsen said. “They have shown if there is anything in the wicket they are capable of finding it.
“The batters then approached their job in a really positive way and put pressure on their bowlers. That’s the way we want to play.”
Scotland’s next WCL matches are on September 14 and 16 away to the Netherlands – the only other team with a 100 per cent record after the first round of games.
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