"I"M very satisfied," declared Grant Bradburn, the Scotland coach, after watching his players claim all points they could in getting the better of their Intercontinental Cup match against Afghanistan, one of their main rivals.
There is a long road ahead of the Scots, as they embark on two years worth of games before they can find a winner, and even then it will take a four-match play-off to decide whether the eventual winner will be considered for Test status. At least, though, they managed to minimise the damage done by the weather which wiped out the first day's play plus the mornings and early afternoons of the remaining three days.
Scotland were poised to claim the six points for coming out on top after the first innings, only for the rain to return and keep them stuck in the pavilion until late afternoon. Even then, with 35 overs to go and only two wickets needed, it looked a foregone conclusion only for them to run into stubborn resistance from Samiullah Shenwari, the all-rounder who had also done most of the damage with the ball.
Seam and spin had both failed to shift the tail end until Richie Berrington came on and picked up two quick wickets to wrap up the first innings with Scotland holding a 98-run lead after rattling up 233 when had been put in to bat on the first day when play was possible.
"Considering that we only got a short amount of play, that was good," Bradburn said. "We had visions of 30-odd overs in the final session not being enough, but I'm satisfied the guys showed the discipline and patience to hang in there. We lost so much time in this game that to come away with 13 points [six for the first innings lead; seven each for the draw] was hugely valuable in the whole scheme of things.
"I think we will look back over the whole two-and-a-half years of doing battle for this Test cricket challenge and know that these points were hard-earned and valuable."
The key, he maintained, had been the positive approach by the batsmen opening the game, which had laid the foundation for the result, allowing the bowlers to attack hard on day three before wrapping things up yesterday. On the other hand, Ireland had won their game against the UAE in Dublin and lead the early table.
Bradburn now turns his attention to the World T20 qualifying tournament Scotland and Ireland are hosting next month, as he sets the team on the twin paths of trying to reach Test status in the long form of the game, while getting to the World Cup in the shortest version.
"It was a very good performance, though sadly there was not enough time to contest an outright result. Now I am really looking forward to the T20s, it is a great opportunity for us to showcase our skills in that format of the game," he said.
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