Cricket: George Worker committed to cause after claiming another scalp

Fresh from claiming Northants' unbeaten record, the Scots backed up that form with a stunning four-run success against Warwickshire.

Once again, Gordon Drummond played a captain's role by shouldering responsibility against rivals whose Ant Botha had his eye in and came within a last-hit six of achieving the 19 from six balls required.

It was the first time since 2006 the Saltires had delivered consecutive triumphs against county opponents and it coincided with the inclusion of 23-year-old SMRH professional Worker when taking over a vacancy caused by Luke Butterworth's departure to represent Australia A.

"I'll have to see if I'm playing in the remaining games but I'd love to be helping out again," said Worker, who made a hard-hitting 27, including five of Scotland's 14 boundaries, then played a key role in preventing Warwickshire getting the ball away across an outfield slowed by sufficient rain to reduce the contest to 22 overs a side.

He added: "I was honoured to be asked to play for Scotland and it was a great opportunity to play against the county teams.

"There's a lot I can take home. It's a slightly different intensity but it keeps me updated for going back.

"Whatever happens, I'll be following Scotland's fortunes and it would be nice to come back next year."

The man from Palmerston North certainly earned any lucky mascot label - not that there was anything fortuitous about his contributions and particularly when he bowled the last of his allotted five off-spin overs knowing that it was, by then, Scotland's only to lose.

"I was nervous bowling the 19th over but the intensity was great.

"I didn't think it was won until the final over when Drummo (Gordon Drummond] did really well.

"You can tell when you are coming together as a unit when you win those close ones.

"It was awesome for the boys to hold their nerve.

"My heart was in my mouth but it was awesome in the end.

"I can't fault the spirit of the boys. They are a really tight bunch and I'm sure they'll do really well from here on whether or not I'm needed."

Many shrewd judges reckoned that Saltires, who won the toss and chose to bat, had come up around 20 runs short of a competitive total in posting 120 despite 24 apiece from Josh Davey and Preston Mommsen in contrasting fashions.

While Mommsen needed just 22 balls and hit a four and two sixes, Davey was more painstaking in taking 41 balls.

Worker admitted: "It would have been nice to get another 20 runs and in our last five overs we didn't get as many runs as we should have.

"But we knew if we fielded well and bowled well anything was possible.

"Our fielding was almost flawless; the outfield was not easy."

Worker also insisted it was quality pressure being applied that kept runs at a relative premium.

"The wicket did play well. Both teams built pressure which made it tough to score. For the amount of cricket played at Grange in the past week the wicket played pretty well."

If Davey fringed the pedantic in circumstances that required pinch hitting, the Middlesex 20-year-old was outstanding in taking 3-30 with his victims including Varun Chopra, who fell to a brilliant running catch from Neil McCallum, brought in to replace Gordon Goudie.

Even Davey was upstaged, though, by Majid Haq whose five overs went for a paltry 14 and included a key wicket in Keith Barker.

Had Haq succeeded with a diving catch attempt that would have removed Botha before he was halfway to a top score of 45 that would have been the icing on the cake. As it was, Mommsen again came good in the field picking up a head knock at one stage for his trouble while claiming a couple of wickets.

By this juncture, the home spinners looked in control and it appeared a gamble when skipper Drummond turned to the pace of Sayaaf Sarif.

However, Drummond's acumen should not have been doubted as containment left the visitors needing around ten an over down the home straight as wickets regularly tumbled.

By the final over, 19 were required and when Botha hit a four followed by a six and a two, fingernails were being chewed.

Cometh the hour and Drummond found a delivery that had Botha turning down a single to retain strike.

It was a ploy that failed due largely to Drummond's accuracy and when the final ball barely got off the square there was a ceremonial run-out not that dissimilar to the key moment earlier when the usually prodigious Neil Carter inexplicably wandered out of his crease to effectively gift his wicket courtesy of a slick Josh Davey throw.

That was the point, surely, at which Scotland realised they had the potential to cap a great week which has yielded the scalps of Ireland, Northants and Warwickshire and therefore climb two places above Hampshire and Leicestershire in the table, albeit with more games played.

"It was awesome for the boys to hold their nerve. My heart was in my mouth"

george worker