Scotland bounced back in style from an opening defeat to win their second game at the Women’s T20 Commonwealth Games qualifier in Malaysia on Wednesday.
Head Coach Mark Coles had asked his charges to “tidy a few things up” after Tuesday’s loss to Sri Lanka at the Kinrara Oval, Kuala Lumpur, and they did that against the host nation at the same ground, coming through by 31-runs in the end as 148-5 played 117-8.
Captain Kathryn Bryce said: “It was a good performance by the team, in the first half especially. Our opening batters [Sarah Bryce and Abbi Aitken-Drummond] really got the team off to a good start.
“Sarah hit a quick 30 and then myself and Abbi put together a good partnership which set the game up for us. We lost a few quick wickets, but that happens in T20 and it was a good effort to get up to 148.
“We probably didn’t start the second half as well as we would have liked, we bowled a few too many loose balls which their batters put away, but Katherine Fraser was fantastic.
“She did her job with minimum of fuss as she always does and got us back on top with a very good spell.”
Charis Scott and Priyanaz Chatterji came into the XI for Ellen Watson and Lorna Jack.
Batting first, the experienced Abbi Aitken-Drummond joined wicketkeeper Sarah Bryce in opening the batting and the duo put on a brilliant 41 in just 4.5 overs.
Vice-captain Bryce scored 30 of those of just 18 balls before being the first wicket to fall, being caught off the bowling of Nur Natsya.
Aitken-Drummond carried on along her merry way with captain Kathryn Bryce though and by the time the former was out for 43 in the 14th over, the side had a great platform, sitting as they were on 104-2.
Nik Atiela had her stumped by Wan Julia, but not before she had hit five fours and manipulated the ball well around the field for 37 balls.
Bryce took up the mantle with Aitken-Drummond gone and, although the Scots lost three more wickets as they chased late runs, they managed to get up to a healthy 148-5 from their 20 overs.
The Captain finished on 62 not out from 46 balls which included seven fours while three of the Malaysian attack took wickets.
In the second half, Scotland knew they could not bowl both sides of the wicket like against Sri Lanka.
The hosts got off to a reasonable start before teenage spinner Katherine Fraser had Julia caught by Aitken-Drummond for 11 in the fifth over.
That was 32-1 and it got even better when the ever-impressive Fraser bowled opposing skipper Winifred Duraisingam for 22 three balls later.
Fraser then took her third scalp in the seventh over, having Yusrina Yaakop trapped LBW, to put Malaysia on 46-3.
And when fellow spinner Maqsood got in on the act in the next over it was 48-4 and Scotland were on top.
That was even more the case at the end of that over when Maqsood’s second victim made it 48-5 with 12 overs of the reply to go.
Fraser then capped off a great day for her with her fourth wicket in the 11th over, having Natsya caught by Rachel Slater for two as she ended with brilliant figures of 4-19 from four overs including 19 dots.
In the next over Hannah Rainey took a wicket and, at 69-7, the stuffing looked like it had been knocked out of the hosts.
However, credit to Intan Jamahidaya and Wan Zulaika who put on 45 for the eighth wicket before the former was caught by Scott off Katie McGill for 24.
Zulaika finished on 18 not out as the innings ended on 117-8.
As well as Fraser’s great figures – which put her joint top of Scotland’s T20I list with 30 – Maqsood finished with 2-19 and eight bowlers were used as the squad continue to get used to the conditions.
Next up for the Scots is Kenya on Saturday at the same venue, the opponents go into it off the back of an 80-run loss to Bangladesh on Wednesday, 126-6 playing 45 all out.
The game is at (9.30am local time, 1.30am UK time).
