Scotland won the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Europe Region Qualifier 2023 title after beating the ICC Full Member Ireland in a high-scoring thriller. However, before their meeting, both teams already qualified for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and United States.
On Friday (28 July), Grange Cricket Club Ground (Raeburn Place, Edinburgh) hosted the 21st league stage game of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Europe Region Qualifier 2023, which was also the last game of the tournament. As Scotland (ten points in five games) were one point ahead of Ireland (nine points in five matches), the winner of the match would secure the title of the Qualifier.
Scotland: 213/6 in 20 overs; Brandon McMullen and Richie Berrington scored 50s
Ireland won the toss and sent the hosts to bat first. Scottish batters Brandon McMullen (68 runs in 35 balls) and the skipper Richie Berrington (54 runs in 29 balls) scored half-centuries, while the middle-order batters Matthew Cross (30 not out in 21 balls) and Michael Leask (21 runs in 15 balls) also had some useful contributions with the bats. They helped Scotland to manage the first innings total of 213/6 in 20 overs.
Among the Irish bowlers, Barry McCarthy (2/42) and Ben White (2/45) collected two wickets each in the game.
Ireland: 205/9 in 20 overs; Bradley Currie’s fifer, Mark Adair’s fiery batting
Chasing down the giant target, Ireland started to lose wickets from the first over, where the opener Andy Balbirnie (4) and the no.3 batter Lorcan Tucker (0) were dismissed in the opening over. The Irish team kept losing the wickets in regular intervals as the chasing was seeming tougher as time progressed.
Though the Irish middle-order batters managed some 20s, the no.8 batter Mark Adair inspired the team with his firing batting performance.
Struggling on 108/7 in the 12th over, Adair had a quick-fire 59-run partnership with Barry McCarthy for the eighth wicket. While McCarthy scored 17 runs in nine balls before his dismissal, Adair already completed his maiden T20 fifty in 25 balls.
Before his wicket in the 19th over, Adair scored an impressive 72 runs in 36 balls with the help of four fours and six sixes.
Safyaan Sharif bowled the last over of the match, where Ireland still had to score 18 runs with one wicket in hand. Finally, Sharif conceded nine runs in that over as the Irish team scored 205/9 in 20 overs.
While Scotland won the match by eight runs, bowlers Bradley Currie surely deserved special credit for his incredible bowling figures of 4-1-13-5. Also, Michael Leask picked up two wickets in the game.
ICC Men's T20 World Cup Europe Region Qualifier 2023: Results of Scotland and Ireland
Scotland’s results | Ireland’s results |
Won by 72 runs (DLS method) vs Germany | |
Won by 14 runs vs Jersey | Won by 9 wickets vs Denmark |
Won by 128 runs vs Austria | |
Won by 9 wickets vs Jersey | |
Won by 33 runs vs Denmark | Match abandoned (no toss) vs Germany |
Won by 8 runs vs Ireland | Lost by 8 runs vs Scotland |
ICC Men's T20 World Cup Europe Region Qualifier 2023: Final Points Table
Team | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | No Result | Points | Net Run Rate |
Scotland (Q) | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | +4.110 |
Ireland (Q) | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 9 | +2.716 |
Italy | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | -0.965 |
Jersey | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0.431 |
Germany | 6 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | -0.440 |
Denmark | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -0.894 |
Austria | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -5.885 |
(Q=Qualified for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024)
