Ireland edge Nepal to finish seventh in CWC Qualifier

HARARE (Agencies): Harry Tector and Curtis Campher scored half-centuries and propelled Ireland to a narrow two-wicket victory over Nepal and finish seventh in the ongoing Cricket World Cup (CWC) Qualifier.
Put into bat first, Nepal piled up a decent total of 268/9 on the scoreboard at the back of a collective effort by their batters, led by Gulshan Jha’s half-century.
Batting first, Nepal had a shaky start to their innings as they were 44/2 in the 13th over after opener Kushal Bhurtel (8) and Gyanendra Malla (7) perished cheaply. Following the slump, opening batter Arjun Saud got the support of his skipper Rohit Paudel and the duo added 50 runs for the third wicket until the latter fell in the 23rd over.
Paudel scored 29 off 35 balls with the help of two boundaries and a six.
Nepal were then jolted by another blow in the span of three overs as Saud was trapped by Gareth Delany and fell just two short of his half-century. He scored 48 off 84 balls, hitting three boundaries and two sixes.
Middle-order batter Kushal Malla took the reigns of Nepal’s batting effort after Saud’s dismissal as he scored a quickfire 44 off 38 balls and put on an important 59-wicket partnership for the fifth wicket with Bhim Sharki, who scored 20.
With the side struggling at 169/7 in 37.2 overs, lower-order batters Gulshan Jha and Sandeep Lamichhane stitched an astounding 80-run partnership for the eighth wicket.
The pair frustrated Irish bowlers until Mark Adair got rid of Lamichhane in the penultimate over. He played a vital 32-run knock on 30 deliveries. Gulshan Jha, on the other hand, carried his bat all the way through and scored a gritty 57 off 42 balls, smashing four boundaries and three sixes.
For Ireland, Craig Young, Adair and Barry McCarthy bagged two wickets each. Set to chase 269, Ireland amassed the total on the second delivery of the final over for the loss of eight wickets. Ireland had a shaky start to the run chase as they were 23/2 in the sixth over after Andy McBrine (17) and Andy Balbirine (1) fell in successive overs.
Following back-to-back blows, Harry Tector joined Paul Stirling (15) in the middle and put on a brief 37-run partnership which lasted when Gulshan Jha castled the latter in the 12th over.
Tector then stitched another crucial partnership for Ireland when he added 58 runs for the fourth wicket with Lorcan Tucker before both fell in quick successions, leaving Ireland reeling at 134/5 in 26 overs. Tector scored 60 off 76 deliveries with the help of four boundaries and two sixes while Tucker could score 24 off 22.
Curtis Campher then stood up for Ireland in the run chase and played a crucial knock and pave the way for his side to pull off the victory. Campher top-scored for Ireland with a 59-ball 62 which featured eight boundaries and a six.
Following his dismissal, George Dockrell (33), Gareth Delany (16) and Mark Adair (18) made important contributions at the end of a tense run chase.

Scotland rest Zimbabwe’s WC hopes with a stunning victory

BULAWAYO: Tournament favourites Zimbabwe have been knocked out of the World Cup qualification race after the hosts succumbed to a shocking defeat against Scotland in the Cricket World Cup (CWC) Qualifier Super Six clash.
Set to chase a modest 235-run, the home side could only raise 203 before being bundled out in the 42nd over despite Ryan Burl’s fighting 83-run knock. The hosts had a dismal start to the pursuit as they lost four wickets in the eighth with just 37 runs on the scoreboard with in-form batter Sean Williams (12) and skipper Craig Ervine (0) also falling victim to the early debacle caused by a ruthless Chris Sole’s opening spell.
With Zimbabwe reeling at 37/4, in-form Sikandar Raza and Ryan Burl attempted to anchor the run chase and put on a valiant 54-run partnership for the fifth wicket. The pair appeared to have settled down and had put Scotland bowlers in dire need of a breakthrough which they eventually found in the 18th over when Raza miscued one off Chris Greaves and handed an easy catch to Tomas Mackintosh at long-off.
Raza could score 34 off 40 deliveries, laced with two boundaries and a six. Wessley Madhevere joined Ryan Burl in the middle after Raza’s dismissal and put on another crucial partnership for their side in a daunting run chase.
The pair of Madhevere and Burl added a brisk 73 runs during their sixth-wicket partnership and had pulled Zimbabwe out of danger but Scotland once again managed to find a breakthrough at the perfect time when Brandon McMullen removed the former in the 31st over.
Madhevere scored a quick 40 off 39 deliveries with the help of three boundaries and a six. Zimbabwe then lost two more wickets in quick successions as Wellington Masakadza and Richard Ngarava perished in successive overs to leave Zimbabwe in heaps of trouble at 182/8.
Ryan Burl, who was hanging on for Zimbabwe with a gritty knock finally perished in the 39th over as he failed to time his slog sweep of Michael Leask and put Scotland in complete command.
He remained the top scorer for Zimbabwe with an 84-ball 83 which featured eight boundaries and a six, receiving massive applause from the dejected home crowd as he walked off.
Right-arm pacer Safyaan Sharif wrapped up an astonishing victory for Scotland in the 42nd over when he castled Tendai Chatara, who could score a mere two.
Scotland could score 234/8 in the allotted 50 overs after they were put into bat first.
All-rounder Michael Leask led the batting charge for Scotland with a quickfire 48-run knock on 34 deliveries which featured three boundaries and two sixes.
Before Leask’s blitz, Scotland’s top four – Christopher McBride (28), Matthew Cross (38), Brandon McMullen (34) and George Munsey (31) – made significant contributions up the order to lay a solid foundation for a defendable total.
Bowling all-rounder Mark Watt also lent a helping hand with a 21-run cameo at the backend and bolstered his side’s total alongside Leask.
Sean Williams led the bowling attack for Zimbabwe with 3/41, followed by Tendai Chatara who returned with 2/46.