In a nail-biting encounter at Queens Sports Club, Scotland's all-rounder Michael Leask played a match-winning innings, striking a boundary off the final ball to secure a sensational one-wicket win for Scotland over Ireland in their Men's ODI World Cup Qualifier Group B match on Wednesday.
Ireland, batting first, faced early struggles as they were reduced to 70/5 by the impressive bowling performance of Brandon McMullen, who claimed five wickets for 34 runs. However, all-rounder Curtis Campher's outstanding knock of 120 and George Dockrell's fine 69 helped Ireland reach a competitive total of 286/8.
Chasing the target, Scotland found themselves in a precarious position at 152/7. But Michael Leask had other plans as he unleashed a remarkable unbeaten innings of 91 runs from just 61 deliveries. Leask's sensational knock, comprising nine boundaries and four sixes, turned the tide in Scotland's favor and guided them to a thrilling victory.
Leask formed crucial partnerships during the chase, including an 82-run stand for the eighth wicket with Mark Watt (47) and a 50-run partnership with Safyaan Sharif (6). With this victory, Scotland has now emerged victorious in 13 of their last 14 ODIs when batting second.
Scotland's chase faced an early setback when Matthew Cross was dismissed by Mark Adair in the second over. Christopher McBride provided stability with a composed innings of 56 off 60 balls. However, Mark Adair struck again in the 11th over, removing Brandon McMullen. McBride fell to Curtis Campher in the 20th over, further strengthening Ireland's position.
Ireland continued to dominate with quick wickets, as George Munsey (15) fell to Ben White, followed by Richie Berrington and Tomas Mackintosh departing in quick succession to Josh Little's impressive spell. Chris Greaves also fell to George Dockrell in the 34th over, leaving Scotland in a precarious situation.
However, it was the remarkable partnership between Leask and Watt that posed a significant challenge for Ireland. The duo displayed great resilience and added crucial runs to keep Scotland's hopes alive.
In the 46th over, Ireland finally broke the partnership when Dockrell dismissed Watt. Despite the setback, Leask remained determined and unleashed two sixes and two fours off Josh Little's bowling, bringing Scotland closer to an unlikely victory.
With 2 runs needed off the final delivery, Leask found an inside edge that beat the wicketkeeper and raced to the boundary, sealing a remarkable win for Scotland.
Earlier, Ireland had a disastrous start to their innings, losing opener Paul Stirling and captain Andrew Balbirnie in the very first over to Brandon McMullen. The collapse continued as McMullen struck again, dismissing Harry Tector in the fifth over, followed by Lorcan's edge to the slip fielder off Mark Watt.
Campher and Andy McBrine had to rebuild the innings cautiously due to the early setbacks. Their partnership, though slow, provided stability, but the pressure to accelerate the run rate led to McBrine's dismissal in the 19th over. Dockrell and Campher then combined forces and stitched together a crucial 136-run partnership before Dockrell fell to McMullen in the 44th over.
Campher continued his impressive innings and received valuable support from Gareth Delany (19 off 14 balls), contributing to Ireland's strong finish. Campher reached his maiden ODI hundred in the process, but it wasn't enough to prevent Ireland from suffering their second consecutive defeat in the tournament.