SCOTLAND got their World Twenty20 qualifying bid back on track yesterday with victory over Uganda in Dubai.
Following Wednesday's defeat to Namibia, the Saltires were workmanlike rather than spectacular in easing to a 34-run success in testing conditions at the Global Cricket Academy.
Calum MacLeod earned his second man-of-the-match award of the tournament thanks to his rapid 45. However, on a wearing pitch, the spinners Majid Haq and Preston Mommsen played their part with three wickets apiece and the slow bowlers may have an increasingly important role to play as this competition progresses.
There were still areas of concern for the Saltires particularly in several unproductive overs with the bat and the concession of a wasteful 14 runs in wides. These points were not lost on coach Pete Steindl who was satisfied rather than elated after his side picked up their second win in three matches.
Steindl said: "We got the win which was the most important thing so we're happy at the outcome. It was important to start the game well and we did that and we also finished strongly and these are pleasing aspects to out play. Calum and Richie [Berrington] gave us another good platform with the bat and our bowlers were closer to the mark than they were against Namibia."
However, the coach added: "There is still room for improvement because the number of wides conceded was disappointing. The guys set themselves high standards and they know they can still be more disciplined. That is something that we have to address as the tournament progresses."
With Gordon Drummond absent due to a side strain, the stand-in captain Kyle Coetzer had little hesitation in batting first under a desert sun.
MacLeod and Richie Berrington, though, took longer than normal to settle, managing just 16 runs in the first three overs. However, MacLeod gave the innings its impetus by clouting successive boundaries over deep mid-wicket off the bowling of David Arinaitwe.
Berrington offered stout support in hitting 21 in a stand of 55 before being bowled by Frank Nsubuga. The introduction to the Ugandan attack of the 16-year-old Henry Ssenyondo stopped the Scots' march, the left-arm spinner bowling Jan Stander before denying MacLeod his second half-century of the tournament.
MacLeod's departure paved the way for a rather pedestrian spell during which the Scottish batsmen were tied down by a combination of tight bowling and their own persistence in playing a series of unproductive improvised shots.
It took the arrival of Gordon Goudie to provide a second injection of urgency particularly when the Stoneywood-Dyce player bludgeoned three straight 6s in one over from the hapless Roger Mukasa. Goudie's 26 from just 10 balls allowed the Saltires to post a challenging 170-6.
They had a scare when the Ugandan openers raced to 44-0 in the opening four overs.
Goudie, though, made the breakthrough to remove the dangerous Arthur Kyobe before Haq and Mommsen went to work on a deteriorating wicket. The former claimed the top figures of 3-18 from his four overs while the latter also took three wickets but at a cost of 33 runs.
Berrington also weighed-in with two but the Ugandans refused to throw in the towel and hung on stoically to close on 136-8.
The Saltires will aim to build on this win when they tackle Oman in Sharjah today.
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