On song Scotland eye more success
Overview
Scotland v Hong Kong
Bulawayo Athletic Club, Bulawayo
CWCQ, Match 8
Tuesday 6 March; 09:30 local time, 07:30 GMT
Scotland will be high on confidence after their comprehensive win over fancied Afghanistan in their opening match of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2018 in Zimbabwe, while Hong Kong will hope to begin their campaign on a positive note when the sides lock horns in their Group B clash on Tuesday, 6 March.
Scotland, who won the Qualifier last time, will seek to carry the momentum of their first win for the rest of the tournament, to grab one of the two qualification places for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.
Calum MacLeod was their star performer, scoring an unbeaten 157 in 146 balls. Most impressive was his ability to nullify the threat of spin, making the Afghanistan bowlers look toothless. Giving him good support was Richie Berrington, and Scotland will be pleased by the application shown by the two batsmen.
However, they will need more from their openers Matthew Cross and Kyle Coetzer, who only contributed 20 runs in the first match.
In the bowling department, Berrington and Brad Wheal, the pacers, enjoyed the conditions. They both chipped in with early wickets, playing a crucial part in putting the opposition under pressure. Safyaan Sharif too stood out in the start and in the last five overs.
Hong Kong performed well in the ICC World Cricket League Championship, where they finished third, behind Scotland. They had some good individual performances from Anshuman Rath, who topped the runs chart with 678 runs, Babar Hayat, who was third with 543, and Nadeem Ahmed, the left-arm spinner, who picked up 24 wickets, finishing joint-first among bowlers.
Now, performing well as a unit will be key. They can take some confidence in knowing that they have beaten Scotland before in the WCL Championship.
Key players
Calum MacLeod (Scotland): The star performer of the last game, MacLeod broke some records on Sunday. He now has three scores of 150 or more, showing how dangerous he can be once he gets his eye in. His knock of 157* off 146 balls against Afghanistan was studded with 23 fours and one six. His association of 208 for the third wicket with Berrington was a national record.
Anshuman Rath (Hong Kong): Rath is coming off a run of good form, with match-winning performances in the WCL Championship. He scored a diligent 143 in the final match against Papua New Guinea, and ended up topping the run-getters’ charts with 678 from 10 matches, averaging 75.33. If he carries his form into the Qualifier, he will be key.
Conditions
In the first match, both teams posted scores in excess of 250, with the pitch seeming to assist batsmen. Scotland, who played their opening match at the same venue, will be more familiar with the conditions. It will be cloudy, but there isn’t much chance of rain.
Squads
Scotland: Kyle Coetzer (c), Richie Berrington, Matthew Cross, Alasdair Evans, Michael Jones, Michael Leask, Calum MacLeod, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Chris Sole, Tom Sole, Craig Wallace (wk), Mark Watt, Brad Wheal, Stuart Whittingham.
Hong Kong: Babar Hayat (c), Ahsan Abbasi, Nadeem Ahmed, Tanveer Ahmed, Tanwir Afzal, Waqas Barkat, Chris Carter (wk), Aizaz Khan, Ehsan Khan, Ehsan Nawaz, Nizakat Khan, Scott McKechnie, Anshuman Rath, Simandeep Singh and Shahid Wasif.