Five-star Tahir sees Scotland to victory
A five-wicket haul from Hamza Tahir carried Scotland home by 85 runs against Oman
MANNOFIELD: Scotland followed up their victory against Papua New Guinea with an emphatic win over Oman in the fourth match of ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 at Mannofield.
Half-centuries from Richie Berrington, Matthew Cross and Craig Wallace and a five-wicket haul from Hamza Tahir carried their side home by 85 runs as Oman suffered their first defeat of the competition.
In a tournament in which batting has proved tricky thus far, Scotland recalled Tom Sole to their line-up as one of the four spinners who joined Safyaan Sharif and Richie Berrington in the home eleven. Oman, playing their first match since their comfortable eight-wicket win over the hosts on Thursday, brought in Bilal Khan as well as slow left-armer Ajay Lalcheta, one of five spinners available to captain Zeeshan Maqsood in a team full of bowling options.
Maqsood’s decision to put his opponents in to bat was immediately rewarded with the prized wicket of Coetzer (0), caught behind off the final ball of the first over. Bilal Khan’s celebrations showed just how important the breakthrough was, and with Lalcheta keeping a tight line and length at the other end, the innings had already reached a crucial moment.
As both teams looked for an advantage, a fascinating duel developed between Bilal and new batsman Calum MacLeod. The Scot got off the mark with a languid drive through the covers for four before Bilal hit back, beating the bat with a ball that moved in to pass just over the top of off stump.
Bowling over the wicket with a nagging line, the left-armer constantly asked questions, and at the end of the seventh he finally got his man as MacLeod (8) edged to wicket-keeper Suraj Kumar. Scotland, at 17/2, were wobbling.
MacLeod’s innings had featured his 2000th ODI run, and Matthew Cross soon reached a landmark of his own as a well-timed sweep for four brought him his 1000th. The wicket-keeper batsman looked in determined mood as he alternated patience with aggression, playing out a maiden from Bilal before running hard for three off Aqib Ilyas in the next over.
George Munsey (13) was unable to capitalise on his promising start, but the arrival of Richie Berrington gave Scotland the middleorder partnership they needed as, from 38/3, the two began to rebuild the innings.
Rotating the strike as they looked to pick off the stray ball, Cross and Berrington used all their experience to bring their side back into the match. Having brought up the fifty in the 18th over, Berrington latched on to extra width from Khawar to crash the ball to the backward square boundary, while an even bigger hit saw the ball sail out of the ground to bring up Scotland’s hundred.
Cross, meanwhile, who again showed his cool temperament as well as his class, quietly continued to accumulate his runs, and a nudge for one brought up his fourth ODI half-century in the 29th over. Off 87 balls, with two boundaries, its value to Scotland was priceless.
Oman were searching for a breakthrough, and with the score on 127/3 in the 36th, it came twice over by way of Lalcheta.