Scotland on verge of T20 World Cup qualification at halfway stage

Teenager Katherine Fraser came in for particular praise as Scotland’s female cricketers took another step towards the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup after qualification victory over Ireland at La Manga, Spain.

Bowler Katherine Fraser is congratulated by her Scotland team-mates

Mark Coles’ side had already seen off the Netherlands on the opening day of the competition, and a six from captain Kathryn Bryce sealed a five-wicket win over the Irish with one over remaining in a tense run chase.

Scotland lost the toss and bowled first. Led by an outstanding performance from 16-year-old Fraser – who took three wickets for 14, including two in two balls – the Wildcats held Ireland to 89/9.

Early in the innings, Scotland slumped to 20/4 after nine overs but a captain’s role from Bryce, who scored 46 off 58 balls, backed up by an impressive 22 from Becky Glen led Scotland to 92/5 and a famous victory over their rivals.

Head coach Coles said: “We bowled magnificently. Katherine Fraser was outstanding for a 16-year-old. And then we had a slow start with the bat. It was a bit messy, but Kathryn Bryce held in there, so all credit to her.

“There’s a few things that we need to tidy up and it’s one step at a time with France and Germany still to play. Today we saw that if you put a team that’s expected to win under a bit of pressure then they can blow up.”

Scotland can confirm their T20 qualification against Germany on Sunday and conclude their five-day campaign against France on Monday.

Get a year of unlimited access to all The Scotsman's sport coverage without the need for a full subscription. Expert analysis of the biggest games, exclusive interviews, live blogs, transfer news and 70 per cent fewer ads on Scotsman.com - all for less than £1 a week. Subscribe to us today