Scotland stun Ireland and Oman pips UAE to go two from two

Michael Leask

 Players of Oman celebrate following the ICC Men’s Cricket WorldCup Qualifier Zimbabwe 2023 match between Oman and United Arab Emirates at Bulawayo Athletic Club on June 21, 2023 in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

Michael Leask held his nerve to complete an unlikely comeback for Scotland as they kicked off their ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023 campaign with a bang while Oman made it two from two.

Ireland, beaten by Oman in their opener, looked set to bounce back only for Leask to steer Scotland to a one-wicket victory off the final ball in Bulawayo. 

Michael Leask hit two off the final ball as Scotland stunned Ireland with a one-wicket victory at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.  Curtis Campher looked as he would be the hero of the day, coming to the crease with Ireland reeling at 33 for four before rattling off a vital century to help Ireland post a total of 286 for eight. 

That looked like plenty when Scotland slumped to 152 for seven in reply, before Leask turned the tide. 

Having lost their opener to Oman, Ireland looked in a world of trouble when Paul Stirling and skipper Andy Balbirnie fell for golden ducks off the second and third balls of the innings. 

Brandon McMullen wreaked havoc with the new ball on his way to figures of five for 34, his first-ever ODI five-for. 

Scores in brief

Scotland beat Ireland at Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo by one wicket

Ireland 286/8 in 50 overs (Curtis Campher 120, George Dockrell 69; Brandon McMullen 5/34, Christopher McBride 1/24)

Scotland 289/9 in 50 overs (Michael Leask 91*, Chris McBride 56; Mark Adair 3/57, George Dockrell 2/34) 

Oman coast to second victory 

Two days on from the momentous chase against Ireland, Oman did it again in Bulawayo, easing to a five-wicket win against the UAE. 

A fine effort with the ball, after electing to field first, put Oman in a strong position as they restricted the UAE to 227 for eight from their 50 overs. 

A trio of half-centuries, including a second in a row from Aqib Ilyas, were then enough to see Oman home with four overs to spare despite a shaky start. 

Jay Odedra (3/31) was the star of the show with the ball, bowling Ramez Shahzad (38) and Vriitya Aravind (49) in quick succession after their 87-run stand for the third wicket. 

He added Ali Naseer to bring Aayan Afzal Khan to the wicket, with the 17-year-old giving his side a chance with a crucial knock. 

Aayan hit 10 fours on his way to an unbeaten 58 from just 52 deliveries, adding 40 with Karthik Meiyappan and 33 with Zahoor Khan. 

Scores in brief

Oman beat UAE at Bulawayo Athletic Club, Bulawayo by five wickets

UAE 227/8 50 overs (Aayan Afzal Khan 58*, Vritya Aravind 49; Jay Odedra 3/31, Bilal Khan 2/46)

Oman 228/5 in 46 overs (Aqib Ilyas 53, Shoaib Khan 52*, Mohammad Nadeem 50*; Junaid Siddique 2/31, Rohan Mustafa 2/31)