There was not much of it and most of it arrived towards its end, but the international activity they finally managed was neither too little nor too late to prevent Scotland’s cricketers from believing they have salvaged something meaningful from the 2016 season.
Deep into September its final match was played in the best conditions they have enjoyed all season and they made the most of them with an emphatic win over Hong Kong to claim a third successive One Day International (ODI) victory and claim the Braidwood Cup.
The trophy itself may not be overly significant, but this was another impressive performance considering how few opportunities they have had, with Calum MacLeod claiming top billing this time around by becoming the first Scottish batsman to register a fourth ODI century.
It was his second in three innings, the previous one having set up victory in the second of last month’s wins against the United Arab Emirates, Kyle Coetzer and Preston Mommsen both having passed three figures in the first one and the 27-year-old reckons their collected efforts have helped make the point that they deserve more opportunities at international level.
“We probably haven’t had enough cricket to justify where the team’s at,” he claimed.
“We’ve got such a big squad of players now and to get the amount cricket we need we’re going to need substantially more cricket and the form we’re showing probably shows we’re not only asking for it but in my opinion deserving more.”
While there is, as he suggested, increasing competition for places, the team’s management has been rewarded for showing confidence in their most established batsmen, not least through MacLeod’s efforts.
“It’s been a nice run of form,” he said.
“I’ve felt really confident the whole season and it’s just been good to do it in a Scotland shirt. After a lean year last year they still put faith in me so it was nice to repay some of that.
“I didn’t know I was the first to do that. It’s a nice stat but I’m sure Kyle, Preston and Richie (Berrington) will all be chasing me hard and I think that’s quite a good driving force that now we’ve got guys who are scoring hundreds and that’s going to drag us all up.”
After Kyle Coetzer had got the innings going with a typically brisk 48 off 42 balls, including eight fours and a six, the Scots, who had won the toss and opted to bat, were struggling slightly at 145-5 when, having been dropped down the order, Craig Wallace joined MacLeod in the 33rd over, his run a ball 52 inject impetus and their 116-run partnership, a Scottish ODI for the sixth wicket, was broken up just eight balls before the end.
There was work still to be done and a 40 run opening partnership offered Hong Kong encouragement until Chris Sole made the breakthrough, Christopher Carter top edging a short ball to wicket-keeper Matthew Cross and Sole, who would finish with excellent figures of four for 28 off his nine openers, got the other opener Aizaz Khan to miscue an attempted pull with just eight more added, Michael Leask taking the catch.
A threatening 91 run partnership ended when Berrington took the first of two fine catches which killed the visitors’ momentum, intercepting a powerful drive by Babar Hyat (56) at extra cover off Mark Watt’s bowling then, soon after, diving forward at backward point to remove Nizakat Khan (40) off Ali Evans.
Another brace of quick wickets as Con de Lange bowled Ehsan Khan before Sole returned to the attack to claim another wicket with a brisk, short-pitched delivery, inducing a mis-hook from Anshuman Rath which resulted in a well-judged catch by Safyaan Sharif, running in from the square leg boundary, put the Scots fully in charge, their opponents still more than 100 behind with just four wickets left and from that point their reply petered out as they came up 53 runs short, the innings ending when Tanweer Ahmed was clean bowled by Evans off the first ball of their 47th over.
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