Scotland made sure they will be at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2024 with a win over Denmark on Thursday.
In an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier clash reduced to 18-overs-a-side, Scotland made 159-7, with captain Richie Berrington top scoring with 60. The Scots bowlers then restricted Denmark to 126-7, ensuring victory by 33 runs.
It means that Scotland – and Ireland who qualified earlier in the day when their match versus Germany was washed out at Goldenacre – will finish in the top two spots in the qualification event and will head to the West Indies and USA next year.
Who finishes top of the qualifier and who finishes second will be decided on Friday when the two countries meet, but for now Scotland are celebrating getting through.
Player of the match Berrington said: “We are pleased to have backed up wins over Germany, Jersey, Italy and Austria with this one over Denmark.
“Our aim coming into the qualifying tournament was to make it through to another T20 World Cup and we have done that, so I am proud of the guys.
“We love playing against the biggest nations in the world on the biggest stage and we feel like we have shown over the last few years that we can compete at that level and bring something to the party.
“There is strength in depth in this squad and on the fringes just now and we’ll keep working hard together to make sure we are in the best shape we can be when the T20 World Cup comes around.
“For now though our immediate focus immediately turns to the Ireland game on Friday as we look to make it six wins from six. They are a good side and we have had a number of tight battles with them over the years, so it should be a good one.”
After early morning rain in Edinburgh, play started an hour later than the scheduled 10.30am at Grange CC with the ground-staff doing some great work to ensure play took place.
Denmark won the toss and put Scotland into bat, with the hosts naming the same XI that played against Austria on Tuesday.
Saif Ahmad bowled a maiden over to George Munsey to open things up and then Surya Anand backed it up tidily meaning that Scotland were just 3-0 after two overs.
Ahmad then went for 17 in the third over, a Munsey single followed up by two sixes and a four by Oli Hairs.
Six came from the fourth over before, with the first ball of the next over, Nicolaj Laegsgaard trapped Hairs LBW for 17.
That was 26-1 and, by the end of the sixth over with Brandon McMullen now at the crease with Munsey, they had progressed to 34-1.
Laegsgaard then had Munsey caught and bowled for 12 off the first ball of the seventh over and McMullen and Berrington had to consolidate things.
They took 11 off the eight over, the half century for the team came up in the ninth over and then 15 came off the 10th over bowled by Saud Munir as Scotland moved to 69-2 with eight overs remaining.
In those eight overs they would go on and add another 90 runs, but the period started well for Denmark when Lucky Ali had McMullen caught by Abdullah Mahmood for 10.
Berrington was joined at the wicket by Tom Mackintosh and three sixes from the former and a four by latter took Scotland up and over 100 and onto 107-3 with five overs left. During that spell Berrington had also raced to his ninth T20 international 50.
Ten runs came off the 14th over before Mackintosh was out in the 15th for 16.
Berrington followed Mackintosh back to the pavilion soon after – his 60 off 32 balls including four fours and four sixes – before a 26 run partnership between Michael Leask and Chris Greaves came in quick time.
When Leask was out for 20 off just eight balls at the end of the 17th over Scotland were 148-6 and the innings ended on 159-7.
Laegsgaard was the pick of the Danish bowlers with 3-23 from his four overs.
In reply, Denmark took three runs off the opening over bowled by Mark Watt and then, off the second ball of the second over, Brad Currie had Laegsgaard caught by Safyaan Sharif for one.
That was 3-1 and things progressed towards the end of the fourth over when Denmark skipper Hamid Shah hit Currie for a six.
The score had progressed to 24 when Watt managed to get Taranjit Singh caught by Currie for eight in the fifth over.
Shah was keeping things ticking over for Denmark and when he hit three fours and a two off Sharif in the ninth over they had moved onto 64-2 at the halfway point of their innings.
Scotland’s effort in the field had just become a bit ragged at that stage, so they needed a wicket and one came when Ahmad was well caught by Sharif off Leask in the 10th over.
Shah and new man at the crease Shangeev Thanikaithasan were not going to go into their shells though and some big sixes from both men helped their side reach the 100 mark after 13 overs. Shah had already gone to his 50 and was 53 not out at that point.
After 15 overs Denmark were 112-3 needing another 48 runs to win.
Sharif then bowled a tight 16th over and took the key wicket of Shah.
The Denmark captain had made 56 off 42 balls and as he headed back to the pavilion his team’s chances looked gone. The over only went for two and the Danes suddenly needed 46 runs from 12 balls.
In the 17th over catches from Greaves and Berrington gave Currie two scalps and then a cracking boundary grab by Currie gave Sharif a wicket in the last over of the match.
The Danish innings ended on 126-7 and the pick of the Scotland bowlers was Currie with 3-18.
Ireland’s game with Germany was called off on Thursday morning at Goldenacre while the later game there between Italy and Austria also fell foul of the conditions.
Scotland v Ireland starts at 3.30pm at Grange CC on Friday to close off the tournament.
On Friday in the 10.30am games, Germany and Italy will play each other at Grange, with Denmark versus Jersey taking place at Goldenacre.
