Scotland on verge of T20 World Cup qualification at halfway stage

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