ICC World Cup Qualifiers 2018, Round Up: Day 1

Apr 15, 2018 at 12:37 PM

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ICC World Cup Qualifiers 2018, Round Up: Day 1

The ICC World Cup Qualifiers finally kicked off in Zimbabwe on Sunday (March 4), and, as expected it turned out to be a thrilling one.

Ten teams are fighting it out in the tournament to secure the two berths on offer for the next World Cup, scheduled to be played in England next year.

The much-anticipated tournament got off to a great start. Here’s the round-up of the action from the opening day.

Scotland stuns Afghanistan:

Riding on Calum MacLeod’s stunning 157 not out, Scotland stunned Afghanistan by seven wickets in their World Cup Qualifiers opener.

Bowling first, the European country managed to get the early breakthroughs. At one point in time, Afghanistan were tottering at 71 for four.

Mohammad Nabi (91) and Najibullah Zadran (67) then helped Afghanistan to get back on track with a 149-run stand for the fifth wicket.

But Scotland finished strongly and took the last six wickets for only 35 runs to bowl out their opponents for a modest 255.

In reply, Scotland were off to a poor start, losing Matthew Cross and Kyle Coetzer to Mujeeb Zadran in successive overs.

However, MacLeod and Richie Berrington revived Scotland’s hopes and went on to seal the game for their side. The duo shared a match-winning stand of 208 runs before Rashid Khan dismissed Berrington. But Macleod remained until the end and ensured his side reach home without any further setback.

Brief scores:

Afghanistan 255 in 49.4 overs (Mohammad Nabi 92, Najibullah Zadran 67; Bradley Wheal 3-36, Richie Berrington 3-42) lost to Scotland 256/3 in 47.2 overs (Calum MacLeod 157*, Richie Berrington 67; Mujeeb Zadran 2-47) by seven wickets.

Ireland thrash Netherlands:

In another game, Ireland thrashed the Netherlands by 93 runs to start their campaign on an impressive note. Sent in to bat first, Ireland posted a competitive 268 for seven in their allotted 50 overs. Andrew Balbirnie top-scored for Ireland with 68.

Chasing a revised target of 243 in 41 overs after a rain delay, Netherlands’ top order fell apart quickly, as they lost half their side for only 63 runs. The Netherlands were eventually bowled out for 149 in the 33rd over.

Brief scores:

Ireland 268/7 in 50 overs (Andrew Balbirnie 68, Niall O’Brien 49; Timm van der Gugten 3-59) beat Netherlands 149 in 32.2 overs (Timm van der Gugten 33, Scott Edwards 26; Tim Murtagh 3-28, Boyd Rankin 2-19) by 93 runs (DLS Method).

Zimbabwe dismantles Nepal:

Sikandar Raza scored a blistering 66-ball 123 and picked up three wickets, as Zimbabwe crushed Nepal by 116 runs. Veteran batsman Brendan Taylor also made a big impact with the bat, scoring a 91-ball 100 that helped Zimbabwe post a daunting 380 for six, their highest total in ODIs.

In reply, Nepal never looked in contention to chase down the total and finished on 264 for eight.

Brief scores:

Zimbabwe 380/6 in 50 overs (Sikandar Raza 123, Brendan Taylor 100; Basant Regmi 2-69) beat Nepal 264/8 in 50 overs (Sharad Vesawkar 52, Aarif Sheikh 50; Sikandar Raza 3-48, Brian Vitori 2-46) by 116 runs.

The United Arab Emirates beats Papua New Guinea:

In another game, UAE rode on half-centuries from openers Rohan Mustafa and Ashfaq Ahmed to beat PNG by 56 runs.

Put in to bat, UAE were all out for 221 in the final over. Skipper Mustafa top-scored for them with 95. However, the modest total turned out to be more than enough in the end.

Chasing a revised chase of 170 in 28 overs, PNG were all out for 113 in the 26th over.

Brief scores:

UAE 221 in 49.4 overs (Rohan Mustafa 95, Ashfaq Ahmed 50; Norman Vanua 4-39) beat Papua New Guinea 113 in 25.5 overs (Charles Amini 24; Mohammad Naveed 5-28) by 56 runs (DLS Method).

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