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Bulawayo, July 4 (IANS): Riding on a superb bowling performance, Scotland on Tuesday beat Zimbabwe by 31 runs in a crucial Super Six match of the ODI World Cup Qualifiers 2023 at Queens Sports Club here and knocked the host's hopes of reaching the mega ICC event, set to be held in India, later this year.
Zimbabwe, after an unbeaten run into the Super Six stage of the competition, have crashed out of contention after back-to-back losses to Sri Lanka and Scotland.
With this, the Netherlands-Scotland match on Thursday becomes a virtual eliminator with the winner booking their spot alongside Sri Lanka for Cricket World Cup 2023.
After putting a respectable total of 234/8 on the board, Chris Sole's searing new-ball spell (3-33) put Scotland on top. Sole sent back Joylord Gumbie off the first ball and then sent skipper Craig Ervine back, cleaning him up in the third over.
When the in-form Sean Williams was bowled by Sole in the seventh over with Zimbabwe's score still under 30, Scotland were well and truly on top.
They could have furthered this advantage had Chris Greaves held onto a catch next over off Brandon McMullen. Instead, Scotland found a wicket at the other end with Innocent Kaia departing, but Raza, alongside Ryan Burl, put on a solid partnership to pull Zimbabwe back into the game.
Greaves made amends when he sent Raza back in his first over to break a promising stand. Burl, though, was unmoved and completed his fifty, and with Wessly Madhevere for company, Zimbabwe grew in confidence. Mark Watt brought Scotland back into the game when he trapped Madhevere (40) in front for 40 in the 31st over.
However, Burl's continued onslaught kept Scotland on their toes with Wellington Masakadza holding up his end. When McMullen returned to dismiss Masakadza, Scotland had an opening at the tail and Burl had to start attacking.
Richard Ngarava fell soon after, and Burl smashed Leask for a four and a six in succession before another attempted slog brought an end to his excellent knock of 83 from 84 balls.
Safyaan Sharif brought an end to Zimbabwe's innings at 203 in 41.1 overs to help Scotland leapfrog them in the points table and lift their World Cup hopes.
Earlier, put into bat first, a half-century stand at the top of the order from Christopher McBride and Matthew Cross was followed by another impressive start from Brandon McMullen.
But, Scotland's charge against the hosts came to a halt when Sean Williams turned hero with the ball. The Zimbabwean, who had bowled only 15 overs without taking a wicket across six matches in this tournament before this, ran riot for Zimbabwe.
The left-arm spinner sent back Cross with a slower one that the batter missed entirely while trying to slog sweep. Having broken the dangerous stand between Cross (38 not out) and McMullen, Williams went on to dent the Scots with the wicket of the latter.
A floated-up delivery on off-stump was slogged straight to long-on and Zimbabwe had two quick wickets and two new batters at the crease. Williams wasn't done, though, and his deliveries were holding up just a bit in the wicket to trouble the big hits Scotland were targeting.
Richie Berrington was next to fall, trying the same fateful shot that saw the demise of the two batters before him. Looking to go aerial down the ground, Berrington miscued the loft to long-off and Scotland had gone from 102/1 to 118/4.
Tomas Mackintosh was run out at the non-striker's end when George Munsey's push down the ground brushed Blessing Muzarabani's fingertips and caught Mackintosh outside the crease.
Richard Ngarava firmly swung the match in Zimbabwe's way with a peach of a delivery, a yorker fired in fast at the base of the middle stump. Munsey was beaten all ends up and departed for 31, leaving Scotland in tatters.
A mix-up next over saw the end of Chris Greaves, leaving Michael Leask (48) to do another resurrection act. With some calculated hits off Ngarava and Muzarabani, Leask raced to 38 off 30 balls by the end of the 48th over with Scotland's total crossing 200.
A six next over took Leask to 48, but Tendai Chatara sent him back to give Zimbabwe a big wicket. But Mark Watt managed 13 off the final over to push Scotland to 234/8, which eventually turned out to be a decent total.
Brief scores:
Scotland 234/8 in 50 overs (Michael Leask 48, Matthew Cross 38; Sean Williams 3-41) beat Zimbabwe 203 in 41.1 overs (Ryan Burl 83, Wessly Madhevere 40; Chris Sole 3-33) by 31 runs.
