Leicestershire's wicket-keeper batsman hits with his highest ODI score
Monday 12 January 2015 19:26, UK
Niall O’Brien hit 80 not out as Ireland squeaked home to a three-wicket win over Scotland in the Dubai Triangular Series.
His 12th ODI fifty and new highest score helped his side make it two wins from two in the series, although their latest success was just as unconvincing as their three-wicket win over Afghanistan was on Saturday.
At 143-6 in pursuit of Scotland’s modest target of 217, it looked as though an upset was on the cards but a 61-run partnership between O’Brien and John Mooney (36) for the seventh-wicket helped push them to victory.
Mooney had earlier taken 2-52 as Scotland struggled to 216-9 from their 50 overs despite Matt Machan’s strong showing of 86 off 120 balls.
But the pick of the Ireland bowlers was Craig Young (3-27), who bowled Calum MacLeod (2) in the first over with a beautiful away-swinger and then accounted for Kyle Coetzer (2) with a similar delivery in his next, although this one was edged to slip.
Young’s third wicket - of Preston Mommesen for 16 - had Scotland 45-4 in the 11th over in a disastrous start to their innings, but it brought Richie Berrington to the crease and he put on 65 with Machan for the fifth wicket.
When he fell for 28 to Alex Cusack (2-35) midway through the innings, the wheels once again came off for Scotland - Matthew Cross (1) and Rob Taylor (17) both run out following some great work in the field, first by Mooney and then George Dockrell.
Mooney added the wicket of Machan late on, as the Sussex man picked out the man on the mid-wicket boundary.
Ireland lost early wickets themselves, skipper Will Porterfield falling for a second-ball duck to pick-of-the-bowlers Iain Wardlaw (2-45) before Ed Joyce was trapped lbw by Rob Taylor for five.
Further wickets fell around O’Brien at the other end before Mooney provided some much-needed lower-order support.
Thirteen runs were still required when he fell, top-edging a Berrington slower-ball, but O’Brien and Cusack - who hit the winning runs - saw Ireland home with 21 balls to spare and inflicted a second defeat on Scotland.
The Scots now face Afghanistan in the next game of the tri-series, in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
