ICC Intercontinental Cup and Shield

IRELAND v SCOTLAND Belfast lived up to its reputation for cricket being interrupted by rain and poorly attended. The first day was bright with sunny intervals, though the temperature struggled to reach the high teens Celsius, and the pitch looked worn but was hard and fast. Ryan Watson opted to bat on winning the toss but, for the whole day, Scotland found run-scoring difficult against an accurate Irish attack in which the pace bowlers obtained bounce and the spinners some turn. The first 21 overs produced 21 runs for the loss of one wicket and included a spell of nine consecutive maidens, hardly entertainment for the spectators who seemed to number about 50 at the maximum during the day. At lunch Scotland were 50 for two from 30 overs. After the interval, Gavin Hamilton struck three boundaries but was then given out leg-before by Niels Bagh off a straight ball from Kevin O’Brien, despite a distinct sound of wood on ball suggesting an inside edge on to the pads. Scotland got even more bogged down in the afternoon as Steven Knox failed to score any runs after the lunch break, his trial ending when Andrew White made a very good overhead catch at third slip. Knox had batted for over two and a half hours and managed to score off only six of the 110 balls he faced. The evening session saw a slight improvement in the scoring rate as Ireland increased the number of bowlers used to eight, but when Craig Wright was bowled by Trent Johnston in the penultimate over of the day, the total was still only 170, a strike rate of 28.5. Simon Smith relieved the boredom by hitting three fours in the last over from Greg Thompson. In contrast to Scotland’s dour batting, the Irish over-rate was exemplary, 101 overs in the day instead of the mandatory 96. Scotland batted with much more purpose on the second day, the tail adding a further 131 runs and extending the innings until 2.30 pm. John Blain was largely responsible, putting on 79 for the eighth wicket with Smith and 60 for the ninth with Dewald Nel, both of whom made useful contributions. Smith continued to score freely, his 40 runs coming at a strike rate of 65.5, but he fell victim to another controversial leg-before decision. Blain reached his fifty from 168 balls and finally lost his wicket, last man out, caught on the mid-wicket boundary, seven runs short of a century. Although Blain was unable to transfer his heroics with the bat to the ball, Wright and Nel damaged the Irish start, taking three wickets in a spell of 12 balls before tea to leave Ireland on 43 for three. Rain delayed the resumption after the interval but when play got under way again, Kevin O’Brien was dismissed leg-before on the front foot to Wright. That was the end of Scottish success for the day, however, as Niall O’Brien and Andre Botha, both surviving chances, batted fluently in drizzle. After a short break for heavier rain, the scoring rate increased to over four runs per over and Scotland’s bowling and fielding became ragged. At 6.32 pm bad light stopped play with two overs remaining to be bowled. Some 19 mm of rain fell on the third day, rendering play impossible, and the resulting wet outfield and bowlers’ run-ups delayed the start on the fourth day until 1.30 pm, an early lunch having been taken. Niall O’Brien skied a hook shot on the second ball of the second over, but Alex Cusack, on his first-class debut, played confidently and he and Botha added 234 runs for the sixth wicket. Scotland had chances but Wright dropped Botha at second slip off the bowling of Blain when the batsman was on 71 and Cusack should have been run out, but the throw to the stumps at the bowler’s end missed and went through the legs of the back-up fieldsman for four overthrows. Ireland obtained first-innings lead by tea, taken at 349 for five. After the interval Botha was dropped at short mid wicket and two overs later he charged down the wicket to Ross Lyons, missed and was stumped, but only at the second attempt, Smith first fumbling the ball. Cusack took command in the stand with Thompson, which added a further 52 runs. He reached his century with a six over long on and continued to find the boundary before attempting to cut a ball from Richard Berrington and edging a catch to the wicketkeeper. Ireland’s batting was in stark contrast to Scotland’s on the first day and Scotland’s fielding became ever poorer under the onslaught. It was a pity that there were no more than a dozen or so spectators to see it. By now the match had become meaningless. Ireland had obtained six points for a lead on the first innings and both teams were assured of three points for a draw in a match in which more than eight hours’ play had been lost to the weather. At 5.56 pm the two captains agreed to stop so that Scotland were assured of being able to catch their 8 pm flight from the George Best City Airport. Andre Botha was the Man of the Match. 124 ICC Intercontinental Cup 2007-08