Bulawayo [Zimbabwe], June 21 : After winning a thrilling match against Ireland by one wicket in the ICC men's World Cup qualifiers, a delighted Scotland captain Richie Berrington said that it was a great game of cricket to witness at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe on Wednesday.
In the post-match presentation, Berrington said, "What a game of cricket. Delighted to get over the line, we had the belief all the way through. Exceptional knock by Leasy (Leask) to get us over the line, The most important thing today was to turn up and play our best cricket.
We had a good couple of weeks leading into this and we got a good group of players and staff and we will look to keep building on this. It was tense towards the end and obviously we managed to get over the line. (Brandon McMullen) was superb with the new ball, he has been opening for since he started playing and he will continue to get better. From a bowling point of view, lots of good stuff as we look to keep getting better and come back strong in the next game. Thanks to the fans for supporting all the way through."
Batting first, Ireland's top order collapsed against Brandon McMullen's lethal bowling. They were 33/4 after 8.2 overs. Paul Stirling and Andrew Balbirnie were dismissed on a golden duck by McMullen in consecutive balls. Harry Tector was also dismissed cheaply at 6 off 10.
Campher bagged an outstanding century, scoring 120 off 108 balls. Dockrell also played a knock of 69 off 93 runs.
For Scotland, Brandon McMullen was the pick of the bowlers, he took five wickets by conceding only 34 runs. Sole, Watt, and McBride picked one wicket each.
Chasing 287, Scotland's first wicket fell quickly, and Ireland were getting wickets in regular interval doors.
However, Michael Leask played exceptionally well, his explosive knock of 91* provided Scotland with a remarkable victory against Ireland in the last ball. Christopher McBride scored 56 off 60 balls. Mark Watt also played an effective knock of 47 off 43 balls.
For Ireland, Mark Adair was the pick of the Bowler with three wickets. Joshua Little and George Dockrell took two wickets each while Curtis Campher and Benjamin White picked one-one wicket each.
Michael Leask was awarded "Player of the Match".
Brief scores: Ireland: 286/8 (Curtis Campher 120, George Dockrell 69, Brandon McMullen 5/34) vs Scotland: 289/9 (Michael Leask 91, Christopher McBride 56, Mark Adair 3/57).
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