Who is Michael Leask? 5 things to know about Scotland's star in WC Qualifier thriller vs Ireland

Scotland got off to a winning start in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe as they edged past Ireland in a last-ball thriller. The hero for Scotland was their explosive batter, Michael Leask, who played a match-winning knock.

Batting first, the Irish put up a score of 286, thanks to a magnificent century by Curtis Campher and a vital 69 by George Dockrell. In the chase, Scotland were in all sorts of trouble at 122-6 before Leask took control of the situation.

Leask smashed an unbeaten 91 off 61 balls to take his side home. In the process, he shared a sensational 50-run partnership with No. 10 Safyaan Sharif, who scored only six runs off nine balls.

On that note, here are five things you need to know about Scotland's star from their World Cup Qualifier match against Ireland:

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#1 He is vastly experienced

Leask, 32, is a vastly experienced player considering that he represents a country which does not play too much international cricket. He has represented his country 111 times in international cricket, including ODIs and T20Is.

Overall, he has played 86 List-A and 66 T20 games in which he has scored 1309 and 620 runs, respectively. He has also picked up 63 and 34 wickets in the two formats. Additionally, he has also played two first-class games and has a half-century to his name.

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#2 Has played for English Clubs Somerset and Northamptonshire

Leask has represented two very popular English clubs, Northamptonshire and Somerset. He was signed by the latter in 2016.

The then Somerset director of cricket, Matthew Maynard, described Leask as a "feisty" cricketer.

"He's a good little cricketer- feisty and quite a strong character," Maynard said.

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#3 Made his international debut in 2013

Leask made his international debut in July 2013 in a T20I game against Kenya in Aberdeen, the place where he was born. Scotland batted first and scored 113 before bowling Kenya out for just 78, thus winning the game by 35 runs.

Least batted at number five in that game, scoring only one run from three deliveries.

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#4 Has delivered a Player-of-the-match performance in an ODI vs England

In an ODI between England and Scotland in May 2014, Michael Leask delivered a stunning performance that caught the attention of fans and pundits alike. Batting first, England scored 167 in 20 overs in a rain-affected encounter.

In the second innings, Leask came out to bat when the score was 46-3. Thereafter, he produced a cameo which took England by surprise. He scored 42 runs off just 16 deliveries, smashing five maximums and two boundaries in the process. Unfortunately, he didn't find any support from the other batters and Scotland lost the game by 39 runs via the D/L method.

Despite being on the losing side, Leask was named the player of the match.

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#5 Was part of an MCC squad that toured Pakistan

In 2020, an MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) contingent was sent to tour Pakistan. Leask was selected in that team and played both the games on the tour.

In the first game against North, he scored one run and bowled one over, conceding seven runs. In the second encounter against the Multan Sultans, he was promoted to number three, but could only manage nine runs. He was expensive with the ball, conceding 24 runs in his two overs. MCC lost the first game but bounced back to thrash the Sultans in the second one.