Scotland’s Men fell to a second defeat against Canada in ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 as Harsh Thaker’s sublime century secured a five wicket win in Dubai.
Put into bat, Scotland were bowled out for 197, which at the time looked a little short after a promising start by the top order. George Munsey (36) top scored, while Brandon McMullen (33), Richie Berrington (30) and recalled Brad Wheal (24) all contributed, without anyone kicking on to make a significant score.
A gettable total quickly became a tough task for Canada, as Brad Wheal and Brad Currie reduced their opponents to 42-4 inside the first ten overs. Thaker (105 not out) grabbed back the initiative with a brilliant hundred, his second of the week, as Canada recovered to reach the target inside 46 overs.
Scotland will look to finish with a win against hosts UAE in the final match of this Tri-Series on Saturday, before playing three T20 internationals against the same opponents next week.
In a game that ebbed and flowed, the Canadians won the toss and asked Scotland to bat, with the hope of extracting some early movement. However Munsey and Charlie Tear moved quickly through the gears from the start, racing to a fifty partnership inside ten overs.
The momentum stalled with the introduction of Harsh Thaker’s spin, as first Munsey and then Tear fell in successive overs. McMullen and Berrington settled themselves, with McMullen in particular looking set as he whipped Thaker for a maximum, but the bowler had his revenge soon after.
This dismissal sparked a middle order collapse, with six wickets falling for 31 runs. Berrington fell LBW, Michael Leask was bowled round his legs trying to sweep and then Matthew Cross succumbed to a beautiful delivery from Ammar Khalid.
As wickets continued to fall, the Scots were in danger of posting a sub-par total. However Wheal, recalled to the side for the first time since 2022, added a flourish at the end, with Currie sticking around to assist, and he was last man out as the Scots dragged themselves to 197.
Canada lost their first wicket in just the second over when a brilliant piece of fielding by Berrington ran out Wijeyaratne for 2.
Aaron Johnson smashed Brad Currie for two huge sixes down the ground, but Currie had the last laugh as he pinned the opener LBW. Wheal then got in on the act in the following over to dismiss Pargat Singh and leave Canada 25-3 and Scotland firmly on top.
It was soon 34-4 as Wheal dug a short ball in and Dhaliwal spooned a pull to Charlie Tear at midwicket, but Thaker, who’d scored a century two days previously against UAE, and Nicholas Kirton rebuilt with a strong century partnership. Thaker in particular looked dominant, reaching his fifty off 75 balls.
The game was delicately poised with Canada 134-4 after 30 overs, and Scotland desperate for a breakthrough to expose the tail. Saf Sharif was the man who provided it, trapping Kirton LBW for 44.
The door was open, but Thaker shut it as he drove on, reaching his second hundred in three days in style with a straight drive for four off Wheal, finishing unbeaten as he took his team over the line in some comfort.
Scotland Captain, Richie Berrington, said:
“Assessing today’s performance, it’s pretty straightforward really, as we managed to build a platform but then lost a whole bunch of wickets in the middle of the innings.
“I think there were still a lot of good things to take from today, but the result is really disappointing. Lots of guys played well today, but nobody put their hands up to kick on with the bat, and if you look at the Canada innings someone went on to get that hundred which proved crucial.
“We have seen batting first can be tricky, but we managed to play those first ten overs really well today, which was a massive positive. Seeing the conditions we have to be prepared to do it either way if we’re going to win games here.
“We have an opportunity to come back strong against UAE on Saturday, which we need to do.”
