CWC Qualifiers: Leask's heroics help Scotland stun Ireland in Bulawayo
Scotland claimed their maiden win in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers after beating Ireland at the Queens Sports Club. The heroics of Michael Leask helped Scotland chase down 287 (289/9) in what turned out to be a dramatic finish. Scotland were tottering on 152/7 before Leask (91*) guided them to a final-ball victory. The all-rounder struck a boundary on the last ball.
Leask's heroics power Scotland
The Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo witnessed the masterclass of Leask, who played the greatest knock of his career so far. He arrived in the middle after Scotland were reduced to 117/5. Scotland suffered further dents as they lost Tomas Mackintosh and Chris Greaves before the 200-run mark. However, Leask's unbeaten 91 off 61 balls (9 fours, 4 sixes) drove Scotland to win.
How did the match pan out?
Ireland had a patchy start after Scotland elected to field. They lost half their side at 70 before a century-plus stand between Curtis Campher and George Dockrell lifted them. Scotland's Brandon McMullen took a fifer. Although Scotland's Christopher McBride scored a fifty, the top order faltered. Leask and Chris Greaves kept Scotland afloat even though they stumbled (152/7). The former hit the winning runs.
Here's how Leask powered Scotland to win
Leask was duly supported by tail-ender Mark Watt, who smashed a 43-ball 47 (7 fours). The duo added 82 crucial runs, taking Scotland past 230. It all came down to the final over where Scotland required eight runs with two wickets in hand. Although Leask lost Safyaan Sharif on the third delivery, he struck two match-winning boundaries, including one on the final ball.
Leask strikes at over 114 in ODIs
Leask, one of the senior members of the Scotland side, made his debut in 2014 against Canada at Christchurch. He has slammed 1,162 runs from 63 ODIs at an average of 28.34 to date. The one against Ireland was his seventh ODI fifty. He has a healthy strike rate (114.82) in ODIs. Leask, who bowls off-spin, has 52 wickets to his name at 33.94.
Sixth-highest SR in ODIs
Leask has the sixth-highest strike rate in ODI cricket among batters with a minimum of 500 runs. He is only behind Andre Russell (130.22), Glenn Maxwell (124.82), Jos Buttler (117.97), Lionel Cann (117.06), and Shahid Afridi (117.00).
