Taking down giants: Five instances of Scotland punching above their weight
The Scottish side lit up the T20 World Cup 2021 with a sensational victory over Bangladesh in the 2nd match of the tournament. The European side was struggling at one stage but made an excellent recovery to set an imposing total. Their bowling attack then strangled the Bangla side to secure a memorable win. However, they have produced such performances previously as well. Here are five such instances including the above-mentioned result.
Beat Bangladesh by 34 runs – 2012
Scotland threw up a surprise at The Hague as they defeated Bangladesh in the only T20I. Batting first, opener Richie Berrington blazed his way 100 off 58 balls while none of his teammates crossed 20 runs. However, the Scottish bowling side delivered a team effort as they bundled out Bangladesh for 128 runs. Josh Davey took 3/23 while Majid Haq claimed 3/27.
Beat Zimbabwe by 26 runs – 2017
Zimbabwe and Scotland played out a two-match ODI series in Edinburgh. The home side jolted the visitors in the opening encounter. Riding on captain Kyle Coetzer’s 109, Scotland posted 317/6 in their innings. Zimbabwe could never catch up with the required run rate and conceded a defeat. Con de Lange claimed 5/60 in his 8 overs.
Beat England by 6 runs – 2018
Scotland faced the future world champions in the only ODI in Edinburgh. Not overawed by their opposition, Scotland posted 371/5 in their 50 overs. Calum MacLeod smashed 140 not out off just 94 deliveries.
England made a furious beginning as they reached 129 runs in the 13th over itself. However, regular wickets kept Scotland alive in the game. Jonny Bairstow scored 105 runs in only 59 balls while the rest of the crew also chipped in with quick contributions. In the end, England ran out of steam and were all out for 365. They lost the game by just 6 runs.
Beat Zimbabwe by 7 runs – 2021
This year, Scotland registered their maiden T20I victory over Zimbabwe. In Edinburgh, Scotland were rattled early as they collapsed to 30/4. Berrington’s 82 not out carried them to 141/6 in 20 overs. Safyaan Sharif rocked Zimbabwe with the ball as he claimed 4/24. Zimbabwe finished at 134/9 with Milton Shumba giving a valiant fight.
Beat Bangladesh by 6 runs – 2021
Tottering at 53/6, even the most ardent Scottish supporters would not have dreamed of winning against Bangladesh. Chris Greaves’ enterprising 45 and Mark Watt’s 22 helped them post 140/9. Bangladesh took a cautious approach in the chase and it ended up costing them the game. They needed 24 runs to win in the last over, they managed 17. Greaves was named the Player of the Match for his knock of 45 and the bowling figures of 2/19.
