Peter Chase spearheaded an impressive Irish attack to an emphatic 203-run win in their final ICC InterContinental Cup match to beat Scotland with a day to spare in Dubai.
The Malahide speedster took 4 for 52 – his best figures for Ireland - as Scotland were dismissed for 178 chasing an unlikely 382 for victory.
Chase was well supported by the new-ball pair of Tim Murtagh (3-35) and Boyd Rankin (2-39) as Scotland were unable to build any substantial partnerships despite several batsmen getting starts.
Mark Watt top-scored with 43, while Calum MacLeod and Michael Leask hit 33 apiece.
Chase reflected on the comprehensive win, but felt he hadn’t changed too much from the first two days when he went wicket-less.
“To be honest I didn’t really change much from the first innings. I felt I bowled well first up and I think I just got the rewards second time around. I’m very happy with how it went in both.”
Earlier Simi Singh made his maiden half-century, top scoring with 59 as the Irish overcame the early loss of Kevin O’Brien to build a formidable total.
Singh shared a 7th wicket stand of 55 in 13 overs with George Dockrell who hit five boundaries in a breezy 40 from just 46 deliveries as Ireland scored 271.
The maximum points win takes Ireland to the top of the table, but Afghanistan will claim the crown for the second time if they avoid defeat against UAE on the final day. That is a nailed-on certainty as the hosts are 112 runs behind Afghanistan with seven wickets left, having been forced to follow-on.
Ireland’s next red-ball match will be their inaugural Test match against Pakistan at Malahide on May 11th, but they are back on the field next week as they take on Afghanistan in a three-match ODI series in Sharjah.
The games give Ireland an opportunity to get revenge over Afghanistan who beat them 3-2 in a hard-fought ODI series in India earlier this year, and Peter Chase is hoping that the confidence gained from this week’s win will put them in good stead.
“I’m definitely looking forward now to the Afghan games. We’ve had a good rivalry of late with some close ODI series. Hopefully we can take the momentum from this game into that series and claim victory.”
At Dubai International Stadium, ICC InterContinental Cup, Day 3 of 4IRELAND 251 all out (81 overs; K O’Brien 78*, A Balbirnie 36, W Porterfield 28, G Wilson 21; S Whittingham 3-23, M Watt 3-60, C Sole 3-79) and 271 all out (68.4 overs; S Singh 59, G Wilson 56, G Dockrell 40, W Porterfield 29, A Balbirnie 21; S Whittingham 5-70, M Watt 2-37, C Sole 2-59)
SCOTLAND 141 all out (52.2 overs; G Munsey 38, S Sharif 26*, K Coetzer 22; B Rankin 4-45, K O’Brien 3-14, T Murtagh 2-24) and 178 all out (57.3 overs; M Watt 43, M Leask 33, C Macleod 33, C Wallace 21; P Chase 4-52, T Murtagh 3-35, B Rankin 2-39)
Ireland (20 pts) beat Scotland (0 pts) by 203 runs