Windies confirmed their spot in the 2019 World Cup after a timely downpour handed them a five-run victory by DLS method over Scotland in the World Cup qualifiers clash on Wednesday (March 21). In chase of 198, Scotland were on 125 for 5 in 35.2 overs when the players were forced off the field due to rain, which didn’t relent for the play to resume later. There were very fine margins in play that denied the Kyle Coetzer-led side a chance to make it to the tournament proper, as an incorrect LBW decision against the set Richie Berrington in the 32nd over left them five down, and eventually in arrears of the par score at the break.
The two-time World champions – who’d waltzed through the group stage with three wins in four – were made to toil hard for their entry into the showpiece event. A defeat to Afghanistan in the previous game left Windies in a tricky position, which was further worsened by a gritty show from the Scotland bowlers. Under just three overs into the high-stakes fixture, they were skating on thin ice. Chris Gayle – with his feet firmly planted to the ground – nicked an away swinger on the first ball to return for a duck, and Shai Hope didn’t open his account either while getting squared up by one that left him late. On a surface that had uneven bounce, it took a laboured partnership between Evin Lewis and Marlon Samuels – 121 off 170 balls – for the Windies to emerge out of the early destruction caused by Scotland’s right-arm pacer Safyaan Sharif.
Lewis constantly looked to push the scoring rate up with hits to the fence but as the ball stopped on the batsmen regularly, run-making wasn’t easy. Samuels particularly struggled to keep the runs flowing at the other end, as Scotland looked to make further inroads. The 15-over period between the 20th and the 35th proved crucial for Scotland, as they conceded 60 runs and managed to snare three wickets – including that of the two half-centurions – and put the lower-middle order under pressure to secure a flying finish. Samuels’s 98-ball 51 – his second successive half-century in the tournament – included 29 dot balls, before he eventually holed out to long off in the 34th over.
Jason Holder started slowly, but was bounced out by Alasdair Evans. A feeble attempt to pull resulted in a leading edge carrying to the mid-wicket fielder. Rovman Powell and Carlos Brathwaite too got starts, but were snuffed out by Brad Wheal and Sharif respectively. Berrington was tidy as the sixth-bowling option, conceding just 12 runs in the three overs he bowled and also dismissing Ashley Nurse. Wheal wrapped up the innings in the 49th over with a yorker that knocked out Keemo Paul’s middle stump, leaving the Windies bowlers to defend a sub-par total of 198.
Kemar Roach and Jason Holder were earnest in their start with the ball as they set out to kill Scotland’s chase. They saw early success as Scotland lost in-form skipper Kyle Coetzer in the third over, for a seven-ball two, before the other two of the top-three – Matthew Cross and Alasdair Jones – too departed limply, leaving Scotland languishing on 25 for 3 in the seventh over.
With balls still bouncing to shoulder level once and then failing to rise above the knee roll off similar lengths, MacLeod and Berrington opted to be extra cautious in their bid to steer the team out of trouble. They added 42 runs off the next 15.5 overs, to keep Scotland in the chase and their opposition on their toes. MacLeod had just 21 runs to his name when Ashley Nurse sent him packing with a sharp return catch, but his exit meant Scotland’s task got tougher. Nurse nearly had another breakthrough a couple of overs later, when an outside edge off George Munsey’s bat lobbed up off the keeper’s glove. Gayle at first slip however couldn’t complete the catch. Munsey smashed three fours off the next four delveries as the threat of rain meant Scotland needed to up the scoring rate in order to stay ahead of the eight ball.
With runs the need of the hour for Scotland, captain Holder immediately reverted to Roach, who began his new spell with a maiden over. Yet, Scotland were on course to nudge ahead in a tighty-contested race, having brought down the target to double-digits. The 57 balls since MacLeod’s exit brought 38 runs, before a wrong LBW call pegged Scotland back. The impact of a good length ball hitting Berrington’s front pad after pitching on a good length was outside the leg stump, but the umpire ruled in favour of Windies. When showers disrupted the game, under four overs after the poor decision, Scotland were five short of what they needed as per DLS.
Brief Scores: Windies 198 in 48.4 overs (Evin Lewis 66, Marlon Samuels 51; Safyaan Sharif 3-27, Brad Wheal 3-34) beat Scotland 125/5 in 35.2 overs (Richie Berrington 33, George Munsey 32; Kemar Roach 2-20, Ashley Nurse 2-35) by 5 runs (DLS method)
. In chase of 198, Scotland were on 125 for 5 in 35.2 overs when the players were forced off the field due to rain, which didn't relent for the play to resume later. There were very fine margins in play that denied the Kyle Coetzer-led side a chance to make it to the tournament proper, as an incorrect LBW decision against the set Richie Berrington in the 32nd over left them five down, and eventually in arrears of the par score at the break.){kind=link}