Munsey ton in vain as Scotland lose to Netherlands
WCL2, AmstelveenNetherlands 282-7 (50 overs): Scotland 263-9 (50 overs): Munsey Netherlands win by 19 runsScorecard
Scotland failed to chase down a target of 283 against the Netherlands in Cricket World Cup League 2 despite a superb 106 from opener George Munsey.Having been shocked by United Arab Emirates on Thursday, Richie Berrington's side came into the contest under pressure to perform.After choosing to bat first, half-centuries from Max O'Dowd (64), Zach Lion-Cachet (78) and captain Scott Edwards (70) helped the Dutch post 282-7 in their 50 overs.Sussex seamer Brad Currie finished with bowling figures of 4-52 for Scotland, including three wickets in the final over of the innings.In reply, the Scots were reduced to 61-3, with Charlie Tear, Brandon McMullen and Berrington all failing to reach double figures.Finlay McCreath (38) put on 92 for the fourth wicket with Munsey, who brought up his second one-day international hundred off just 90 balls.Both batters fell in the space of five overs though, swinging momentum back towards the hosts.Wicket-keeper Matthew Cross chipped in with 47, but Scotland fell 19 runs short, leaving them with seven wins from 14 matches, while the Netherlands top the table with 11 wins from 18. The Scots face UAE on Wednesday before taking on the Dutch again on Friday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Trivia-busting Rabada joins elite Lord's club of two
South Africa fast bowler Kagiso Rabada has joined an elite Lord's club of any player who takes five wickets or scores a century in a Test match has their name etched onto an honours board in gold the first day of the World Test Championship (WTC) final, only one other Test player in the storied 141-year history of Lord's has appeared on the honours board in both the home and away dressing quirky mark of cricket trivia belonged to legendary West Indies opener Gordon knocks of 214 not out and 103 against England in 1984 and 1988 respectively adorn the board in the away dressing less well known is the fact he is also on the home dressing room for the 122 he made for the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) against the Rest of the World in South Africa allocated the home dressing room for the WTC final at the home of cricket, Rabada's five-wicket haul was enough to see him join Greenidge in the exclusive club.A piece of sticky batting tape with Rabada's name written on it in pen has been attached to the board for his figures of 5-51, as is the tradition for players during matches. The gold lettering should soon with no place for neutral Tests at Lord's on the honours board since they were refurbished in 2018 it may well be stencilled on there permanently by the signwriter."It was cool to have it in the home changing room now," said Rabada, whose name is on the board in the away dressing room for the 5-52 he took for his country in a Test against England in 2022. Did England great Broad help Rabada? Perhaps he benefited from some insider trading from the fast bowlers' union to achieve the a savvy move, South Africa engaged the services of Stuart Broad - a man who is on the honours board for batting and bowling - in the build-up to this did so on the premise the former England bowler could impart some pearls of wisdom on a ground where he took 113 must have been eagerly taking notes – CricViz data showed that 84% of Rabada's deliveries on day one were on a good length, which is the most of any innings in his dismissal of Australia opener Usman Khawaja with a delivery from round the wicket which squared the left-hander up and took the edge was Broadian by nature."Stuart gave us a few pointers on certain field placings and in general with the conditions with cloud cover and wind," acknowledged Rabada, who has the second-best strike-rate (39.1) in the history of the game of bowlers with 100 wickets or more (beaten only by England's George Lohmann, who took his wickets every 34.1 balls between 1886 and 1896)."The ball was nipping a bit and at times moving off the slope quite a lot. I still felt batters could get in. We thought we should have bowled them out for 160 but that's just the way the game goes." There was also a redemption element of sorts to Rabada's efforts with the 30-year-old fast bowler had come into the match with something of a cloud hanging over him having recently served a short ban for recreational drug use."It wasn't my best moment, as I have alluded to," Rabada said, in a matter-of-fact manner."Life moves on. Every game that I play for South Africa, I try to do my best."On a day when 14 wickets fell at Lord's it would be easy to assume the South Africa quick bowler's five-wicket haul could be attributed to other factors."For day one of a Lord's Test match, it was below average in terms of movement through the air, and just about average for deviation off the pitch," said TMS scorer Andy Zaltzman."So that comes down to quality of bowling and consistency."Rabada also moved above legendary fast bowler Allan Donald and up to fourth on South Africa's all-time Test wicket-takers list as he took his tally to 332 three men above him on South Africa's all-time list are Makhaya Ntini (390), Shaun Pollock (421) and Dale Steyn (439)."As a player, growing up and representing South Africa, I have been inspired by those who have come before and seen what they have done on the big stage," he added."As a kid, I was inspired to do the same thing. To be on that list is something special and long may it continue."
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Experimental Australia batting line-up exposed – but their bowling attack remains supreme
An evening of stellar fast bowling leaves Australia as strong favourites to retain their World Test Championship at Lord's. But Australia needed Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins at their strangling, relentless best, after their batting line-up had displayed more hints of frailty. Last home summer, admittedly against a cocktail of spicy wickets and Jasprit Bumrah, only one Australian Test batsman averaged 35. Such struggles contributed to them reshuffling their top three dramatically for the World Test Championship final. Marnus Labuschagne, the long-term No 3, moved up to open for the first time in a Test match. But for all his doughty defence, here Labuschagne resembled a cricketer who has long mislaid his best form. Over 56 balls, he displayed little of the proactivity that characterised the brilliant start to his Test career – or Steve Smith showed in his supreme 66 at Lord's. Instead, Labuschagne stumbled against terrific new-ball bowling by Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen. When he pushed Jansen behind to fall for 17, it extended his slump. In Labuschagne's first 30 Tests, up to December 2022, he averaged 60.8 and scored 10 hundreds. In his past 28 Tests, he now averages just 30.5, with a solitary century. Although Labuschagne turns only 31 later this month, there is a sense that elevating him to open represents a last chance for him to save his Test career. Yet Labuschagne was only one Australian player batting in a novel position. After returning from injury and his brilliant stint as a specialist batsman at Gloucestershire, paid for by an anonymous benefactor, Cameron Green made his first Test appearance for 17 months. Green walked out at No 3, the highest he has batted in Test cricket. Three balls later, he prodded Rabada to the slips and trudged off for four. There is even some uncertainty about the position of the one man in the top three batting in their usual position. Usman Khawaja has enjoyed a brilliant flourishing after his re-emergence as an opener four years ago. But he is now exhibiting growing vulnerability against high-class pace bowling. He averaged just 20.4 against India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, tormented by Bumrah, though a double-century in Sri Lanka in February showed Khawaja's continued aptitude against spin. His first ball at Lord's, which jagged off a length and beat his groping bat, set the template. Scoreless throughout his first 19 balls, showing no more relish for facing Rabada than he had for Bumrah, Khawaja edged his 20th behind. South Africa get the breakthrough ‼️ — Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 11, 2025 The vulnerabilities of Australia's top order should not obscure Rabada's magnificence. Arriving at Lord's after a brief ban for the use of recreational drugs, he saw the Test Championship final as his stage. Rabada has often lamented South Africa 's sparse Test schedule. Nearing 10 full years in the format, during which he has been an automatic pick, this was only his 71st Test. But Rabada's five wickets at Lord's, which took his overall haul to 332, surpassing Allan Donald, emphasised his greatness in the format. Against Australia, his 54 Test wickets have come at a rate of one every 38 balls: the best of anyone who has taken at least 50 wickets against Australia. His method at Lord's was Rabada in excelsis: using wobble seam to move the ball off the pitch both ways at speeds approaching 90mph, with the occasional venomous bouncer thrown in. After snaring Khawaja and Green with the new ball, Rabada then returned to bowl Australia out with the old ball, clean bowling both Cummins and Starc. Yet, not for the first time in his career, Rabada was left lamenting inadequate support from his team-mates. Bowling Australia out for 212 fully vindicated South Africa's decision to field first. Yet captain Temba Bavuma would still feel a pang of regret at Australia's total. When Beau Webster had made eight – Rabada, naturally was the bowler – Bavuma neglected to review an lbw appeal. Had South Africa used the Decision Review System, Webster would have been out; instead, his 72 continued the fine start to his Test career. But, in front of a full house that included thousands wearing the country's cricket or rugby shirts, South Africa's greatest regret from the opening day was predictable. The sight of all-rounder Wiaan Mulder, who has a Test average of 22, walking out at No 3 encapsulated the state of South Africa's batting. Australia's pace trio exhibited their full range of skills – Starc swinging the new ball prodigiously, while Cummins and Hazlewood settled into bowling back of a length with the wobble seam. Facing such excellence, South Africa's struggles were understandable. Yet batsmen could have been more proactive – for instance, taking guard a few inches further forward to force Australia to adjust their lengths. Instead, Mulder took 44 balls over his six runs; Bavuma took until his 31st delivery to get off the mark. Ironic cheers ensued from the Australian contingent in the crowd. South Africa will need to find a new approach if they are to stop more Australian celebrations over the coming days.
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
ICC chair Jay Shah likes what he sees at Lord's and that can only be a good thing
Lord's looks a little different this week. The grass is the same shade of green, the pavilion still terracotta red, but the International Cricket Council, which runs the World Test Championship, has papered over every last trace of everyone else's branding, from the posters outside publicising Middlesex's upcoming games, to the sponsors' logos spray-painted on the outfield. They've changed every last hoarding and billboard around the ground, and reprogrammed the three big screens so that they display, throughout the game, the slogans of their own sponsors. 'Thums up Cola! Taste the Thunder!' They've even installed six big bright-orange sofas in the Allen Stand, on behalf of Sobha Realty, which goes by the motto 'Art of the Detail'. There were unconfirmed rumours that an apparatchik had been spotted taping over the egg-and-bacon stripes on the members' ties. Anything to make sure everything is arranged exactly as the ICC's chief executive, Jay Shah, likes it. If you don't know, Shah is one of sports great young achievers. He became secretary of the Gujarat Cricket Association when he was 25, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India at 31, and chair of the International Cricket Council when he was just 36. You can only imagine how proud his family must be of it all. Especially his father, Amit Shah, who is Narendra Modi's right-hand man, and India's minister for home affairs. They say that when Shah started at the ICC he made a point of pushing through a few ruthless staffing decisions just to prove to everybody that he is his own man. The upshot, anyway, is that right now cricket is beginning to feel worryingly like it is an international sport being run on one man's whims. And this week, the game is making every effort to arrange itself around him. The MCC certainly wants him to be as comfortable as possible, especially after he didn't bother to turn up to its World Cricket Connects conference for 'the most influential voices in the sport' last weekend. It even invited Shah to ring the bell to mark the start of play before the final. I swear there were even a couple of MCC members giving him applause for doing such a good job of tugging on the rope. 'A privilege,' Shah wrote on X later that same afternoon, from his seat in the president's box, where the ECB's own executives, chair Richard Thompson and chief executive Richard Gould, seemed to be busy failing to get his attention. The first World Test Championship final had a worldwide audience of 180 million, this one is beginning to feel like it's trying to win over an audience of one, because the only way it can really be sure of itself is if Shah believes it's worth persisting with. Anytime two Test cricket fans get together, there's sure to be a conversation about the state of the game. There were 25,000 odd here on the first day, and the background chat was about whether or not the Test schedule should be changed so that India, Australia, and England can play each other more often; whether the 12 teams might soon be split into two divisions; if it even makes sense for the smaller nations to play it given that it costs so much money to arrange games against and between them; or whether, as everybody knows it ought to, the game needs to change the way revenues are being distributed so those same smaller teams can afford to play. Test cricket has been going for almost 150 years now, and yet somehow it still feels like it needs to prove it has a future. This is the first time that the showpiece final hasn't involved India, and the knock-on effect is that the viewing figures are unlikely to make much of an argument for the format. Sign up to The Spin Subscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week's action after newsletter promotion Good thing, then, that Australia and South Africa did during a superb first day's play. The quality of the batting, bowling, and catching was a cut above any of the cricket held in England so far this summer. There were spells, through the morning, and just after lunch, when the contest between South Africa's opening bowlers Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen, and Australia's vaunted top-order batsmen, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, and Travis Head, felt like stop-what-you're doing cricket. If you looked around the ground then, no one was nodding off, or nattering away, or looking at their phone. Almost everyone's attention was on what was happening in the middle. A little later in the day, once the sun was out, Shah was spotted taking selfies with fans around the back of the grandstands. He seemed to be enjoying himself. And everyone who loves Test cricket ought to be happy to hear it.
