ICC T20 World Cup 2019 Qualifier: Singapore beat Scotland by 2 runs

Singapore has extended their rise in cricket as the minnows stunned Scotland by 2 runs in the first match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Qualifier 2019 in Dubai. Needing 8 runs to win the final over, Scotland could only muster 5 and lost 3 wickets quickly to give Singapore a morale-boosting win. Earlier, Singapore had defeated Zimbabwe in a T20I match in September. The win was Singapore’s first victory against a Full Member Nation.

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Chandramohan steers Singapore

Put into bat by Scotland captain Kyle Coetzer, Singapore got off to a worst possible start after losing opener Rangarajan and Tim David for only 7 runs on the board. With Chandramohan struggling to get going at the other end, Aritra Dutta counter-attacked with a breezy 32 off just 15 deliveries to give the innings much-needed impetus. Following Dutta’s wicket, who was cleaned up by left-arm spinner Hamza Tahir, Chandramohan and wicketkeeper-batsman Manpreet Singh (26) stitched a 78-run stand. Chandramohan, who weathered the storm earlier, ended up with a 55-ball 51. A late assault from Janak Prakash (20 off 11) and Navin Param (13* off 7) helped Singapore post a respectable 168/6. The Scotland bowlers were particularly error-prone, conceding as many as 19 extras.

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Scotland get off to a flying start

Needing 169, Scotland openers laid a platform for the rest of the team to carry forward. George Munsey (46 off 25) and captain Kyle Coetzer (38 off 36) put on a 70-run stand inside 8 overs. Singapore fought back with some tight bowling, reducing Scotland to 125/5. Selladore Vijayakumar slowed down the Scotland brigade with his spell of 3/16. In another twist to the game, Calum MacLeod and Tom Sole staged a comeback to reduce the equation to 19 from the last 2 overs.

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Mahboob magic

With 9 required off the last over, Safyaan Sharif managed to bring MacLeod on strike with 8 required off 4. But Amjad Mahboob had the last laugh after he dismissed him for 44. Sharif was also dismissed after Tim David pulled off a stunning diving catch. With 5 needed off the last ball, Davey could only muster 2 runs, giving Singapore a much-deserved win. Scotland takes on Kenya in their next match, while Singapore will take on Bermuda.

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ICC T20 World Cup 2019 Qualifier: Brief scores

Singapore 168/6 (Chandramohan 51, Dutta 32, Davey 2-26, Sharif 2-28) beat Scotland 166/9 (Munsey 46, MacLeod 44, Vijayakumar 3-16, Sidhant 2-27) by 2 runs.