Calum MacLeod made the second highest score by an Associate player in an ODI and third highest by an Associate player in List A cricket in a 170-run romp over Canada to seal a place for Scotland in the Super Sixes
ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jan-2014Calum MacLeod made the second highest score by an Associate player in an ODI and third highest by an Associate player in List A cricket in a 170-run romp over Canada to seal a place for Scotland in the Super Sixes and put an end to Canada’s consecutive World Cup streak dating back to 2003. Scotland join UAE and Hong Kong from Group A in the Super Sixes.Canada won the toss and sent Scotland in to bat in the hopes of restricting them to a low total that they could chase down quickly to pass Scotland on net run rate. MacLeod erased any chance of that happening with 175 off 141 balls in Scotland’s total of 341 for 9.Matt Machan teamed up with MacLeod to add 144 for the second wicket and MacLeod looked to have a rare ODI double-century in his sights before perishing on the first ball of the 46th over to Khurram Chohan – who finished with 5 for 68. MacLeod was left to settle for the highest score by a Scotland player in an ODI.Canada never threatened to chase Scotland’s hefty total, especially after opening bowlers Iain Wardlaw and Rob Taylor wiped out the top four to leave Canada at 42 for 4. Wicketkeeper Matty Cross had a terrific day behind the stumps, taking six catches and also effecting two runouts. Hamza Tariq was last man out for 71 as Canada succumbed for 171 in 39.2 overs. Taylor, Wardlaw and Safyaan Sharif all finished with two wickets apiece for Scotland.Irfan Karim produced a scintillating 108 for Kenya to pave the way for a stunning four-wicket upset of Netherlands on Thursday at Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln. The defeat put Netherlands in fourth place in Group B, denying them a spot in the Super Sixes. Kenya go into the next stage from Group B, along with Papua New Guinea and Namibia.Netherlands, the pre-tournament favourites were sent in to bat by Kenya, as the latter team looked for the best chance to progress on net run rate. Wesley Barresi scored 137 not out for Netherlands and was part of a 136-run second wicket partnership with Eric Szwarczynski that spanned 30.4 overs. Netherlands entered the final 10 overs of their innings on 188 for 3, but their steady pace from the start of the innings and an overall lack of a sense of urgency came back to haunt them in the end as they finished on 265 for 5.Kenya needed to achieve the target in 36.1 overs to leapfrog over Netherlands on net run rate into third place in Group B. While Barresi’s first innings ton consumed 150 balls, Karim torched the Netherlands attack to reach his century with his 15th four off just 81 balls. He received excellent support from Ragheb Aga (86) and the pair added 148 for the second wicket in 20.2 overs. Karim was the third wicket to fall with the score 240 in the 32nd over, leaving Kenya with 26 to score in 4.5 overs in order to pass Netherlands on net run rate.After a brief flurry of wickets, captain Rakep Patel and Steve Tikolo held their nerve, striking a pair of boundaries as part of a 13-run 35th over to make it 262 for 5 entering the 36th. Ahsan Malik removed Patel on the first ball of the 36th, but singles came off the next three deliveries before the winning run arrived off a wide. Kenya reached the target with room to spare in 35.4 overs. The win keeps Kenya’s hopes of maintaining their World Cup streak alive.Patel later said the win was a relief. “There was a lot of pressure on the boys today. They really performed and got us through to the next round,” he said. “Chasing 265 could have been very difficult. But the way Irfan Karim and Ragheb Aga batted today was very good, and Collins Obuya finished things off nicely. This win means a lot to the team, and to everyone back home. The boys have believed in themselves and changed their own luck. The senior players are displaying real leadership and commitment.”Netherlands captain Peter Borren admitted the lack of runs in the last 10 overs had made the match difficult for the side.”A lot went wrong today, in the field particularly. Their two batsmen played beautifully, and we didn’t respond well,” Borren said. “We probably didn’t get enough runs in our last ten overs. We could have killed them off there with wickets in hand. But they bowled well and we struggled to get it away. That was pretty crucial.”Papua New Guinea opener Lega Siaka scored his second century of the tournament to ensure his side finished atop Group B courtesy of an eight-wicket thrashing of Namibia at Mount Maunganui. Namibia won the toss and chose to bat first but were under pressure immediately after Pipi Raho and PNG captain Chris Amini nipped out two wickets each in their opening spells to leave Namibia at 16 for 4 in the sixth over.Gerrie Snyman provided Namibia’s best resistance with 54 at number six, but lacked any genuine support. Snyman was dismissed by Mahuru Dai in the 41st over to make it 137 for 8 before Namibia were eventually bowled out for 163 in 48.4 overs. Siaka’s 112 not out dominated the chase and PNG’s next best score was Assad Vala’s 16. PNG needed only half of the allotted overs to reach the target and vaulted to the top of the group in the process.Lega Siaka scored a match-winning century for Papua New Guinea•ICC
UAE prevented Hong Kong from going undefeated in Group A, defeating their Asian rivals by 22 runs. UAE won the toss and batted and captain Khurram Khan led the way with 78. Khan’s team-mates wasted the platform he laid for them as his dismissal in the 39th over sparked a mini collapse. UAE went from 185 for 4 to be bowled out for 249 in 48.1 overs. Haseeb Amjad led the way with the ball for Hong Kong taking 3 for 33.Manjula Guruge dismissed the dangerous Irfan Ahmed early in the chase. The best partnership in the innings was 49 for the third wicket between Waqas Barkat (24) and Mark Chapman (59) as Hong Kong lost wickets at regular intervals and struggled to sustain any momentum. Guruge finished with 4 for 39 as Hong Kong was bowled out in the final over for 227.Entering the Super Sixes, Papua New Guinea has a distinct advantage on the other five teams, carrying over four points into the next phase by virtue of their wins over Kenya and Namibia during play in Group B. Kenya has the biggest hill to climb carrying zero points forward after losses to Papua New Guinea and Namibia. Scotland, UAE, Hong Kong and Namibia all carry two points forward from the group stage into the Super Six phase, which begins on Sunday.