Cricket Scotland narrowly beaten by New Zealand

Alasdair Evans is consoled by Martin Guptil after being run out on the last ball. Picture: Getty

Evans faced the final delivery with Scotland on the verge of a shock win against what was a thinly-disguised full New Zealand team, in their match at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln.

His shot went to McCullum at short cover, and the New Zealand captain sprinted to the non-striker’s end, knocking the bails off as Evans dived in vain for his ground.

McCullum and Corey Anderson had earlier made half-centuries as New Zealand were dismissed for 263, with Kyle Mills and Matt Henry adding 55 for the final wicket.

Richie Berrington hard earlier taken an impressive 3 for 66 off nine overs, while New Zealand slipped to 110 for 5 in 26 overs, after McCullum and Tom Latham were dismissed in the space of two runs after making 52 and 39.

Scotland, chasing 264, lost Kyle Coetzer to a duck in the first over, and while Callum MacLeod and Hamish Gardiner made 22 and 54 respectively, and Freddie Coleman chipped in with a half-century, it was the 111-run partnership between Gardiner and Matt Machan that threatened to upset New Zealand.

Machan took the attack to the bowlers after starting slowly, making 83 from 86 balls, before Gardiner was dismissed after Mills dropped a return catch but managed to deflect the ball onto the stumps with Gardiner out of his ground.

Scotland: KJ Coetzer, RM Haq, RD Berrington, CS MacLeod, MW Machan, RML Taylor, FRJ Coleman, AC Evans, MH Cross (W), PL Mommsen (C), I Wardlaw, HJW Gardiner.

New Zealand XI: DL Vettori, KD Mills, BB McCullum (C), NL McCullum, L Ronchi (W), DG Brownlie, MJ Guptil, C Munro, CJ Anderson, MJ McClenaghan, TWM Latham, MJ Henry.

Umpires: CB Gaffaney, DJ Walker.