World Cup 2023 Qualifiers, Day 4 Round-up: Leask heroics lift Scotland to thrilling 1-wicket win over Ireland 

Michael Leask slammed a superb 91* off balls to guide Scotland to a sensational one-wicket win over Ireland in the seventh game of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 qualifiers at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on Wednesday (June 21).

Set to chase 287, Scotland were in all sorts of strife at 152-7. However, an eight-wicket stand of 82 between Leask and Mark Watt (47 off 43) reignited the chase. Leask struck nine fours and four sixes in a superb exhibition of big-hitting under pressure.

With two runs needed off the last ball, Leask got a thick inside edge to a full ball from Mark Adair outside off stump. The delivery beat the keeper and raced to the fine leg fence.

Adair had got Ireland off to a good start with the ball, trapping Matthew Cross leg before for 4. Although opener Christopher McBride contributed 56 off 60, Scotland kept losing wickets at regular intervals. George Munsey (15) and captain Richie Berrington (10) also failed to make significant contributions.

Despite the fightback from Scotland, they still needed 54 from the last five overs, with only three wickets in hand. The equation for the chasing side got tougher when George Dockrell had Watt stumped at the start of the 46th over. However, Leask walloped Joshua Little for two sixes and two fours as 22 runs came off the 47th over.

Ireland fought hard, but Leask had the last laugh. It did not matter that the winning runs came in a streaky fashion.

Leask’s heroics overshadowed Curtis Campher’s maiden hundred, who struck 120 off 108 after Scotland had sent Ireland into bat. The Irish recovered from 70-5 to reach 286-8 as Campher and Dockrell (69) added 136 for the sixth wicket.

For Scotland, Brandon McMullen registered figures of 5-34 in the World Cup 2023 Qualifiers clash.

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Clinical Oman beat UAE by 5 wickets in Match 8 of World Cup 2023 Qualifiers

Oman beat United Arab Emirates (UAE) by five wickets in the eighth game of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 Qualifiers in Bulawayo on Wednesday. In a clinical performance in the Group B game, Oman won the toss and opted to field first. Their bowlers did a great job to restrict UAE to 227-/8.

Bilal Khan (2-46) trapped UAE captain Muhammad Waseem leg before for 8, while Fayyaz Butt (2-49) dismissed the other opener Rohan Mustafa (8). Keeper-batter Vriitya Aravind (49) and Rameez Shahzad (38) added 87 for the third wicket, but both of them were cleaned up by Jay Odedra (3-31).

UAE lost their way after the partnership was broken and slipped to 154-7 in the World Cup 2023 Qualifiers contest. However, a defiant half-century from Aayan Khan (58* off 52) took the batting side past the 225-run mark. Khan struck ten fours in his impressive knock.

Oman got off to a shaky start in their chase, as Junaid Siddique dismissed openers Kashyap Prajapati (6) and Jatinder Singh (2) cheaply.

However, Aqib Ilyas (53), Shoaib Khan (52*) and Mohammad Nadeem (50*) contributed half-centuries, while Ayaan Khan chipped with a swift 41 as Oman eased home in 46 overs.