Scotland stun West Indies despite Matthews heroics
Scotland stunned West Indies by 11 runs in their opening match of the Women's Cricket World Cup qualifiers despite a herculean performance from opposing captain Hayley Matthews.Matthews reduced Scotland to 69-3 by the 16th over but Sarah Bryce with 55 off 56 balls gave the innings fresh impetus and Megan McColl (45), Katherine Fraser (25 not out) and Priyanaz Chatterji (15 off 10) helped push Scotland to 244 all out in 45 overs.Matthews took 4-56 with the ball in Lahore then turned her attention to chasing down Scotland's total.She made an unbeaten 114 off 113 balls despite being forced to retire hurt twice with cramp and exhaustion - once being taken off on a stretcher before returning.But her magnificent innings was not enough to save West Indies from a shock defeat as they were bowled out for 233 in 46.2 overs.Scotland's Fraser took three wickets while Chloe Abel and Abtaha Maqsood took two apiece. Darcey Carter conceded just 10 runs from four overs and took the wicket of Qiana Joseph for a duck in the second over to leave Windies with an uphill task.Only Matthews and Zaida James (45) put together a dangerous partnership - theirs for the second wicket was for 113 runs and put their side in position to reel in the Scots.However Scotland rallied and claim two important points in the group stage of the qualifier.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
39 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
We've hurt big nations before and we can do it again in World Cup qualifiers, insists bullish Scotland boss Steve Clarke after stroll in Vaduz
Steve Clarke challenged his players to raise their game against top opponents after they comfortably saw off minnows Liechtenstein in Vaduz. A Che Adams hat-trick and George Hirst's first Scotland goal ensured the team bounced back from last Friday's dire display against Iceland at Hampden. Severely criticised in the wake of the 3-1 loss, the four-goal victory ensured the pressure eased on the embattled manager ahead of the World Cup qualifiers starting in September. Drawn with Denmark, Belarus and Greece in Group C, Clarke will hope for a fast start when the Scots travel to Copenhagen for the opener on September 5. He believes his players must take heart from the fact they've already shown they can take points from some of the best nations in Europe. 'It's still a disappointing camp because we didn't play as we can play in the home game at Hampden,' said Clarke. 'There was a little bit of hurt and anger in the dressing room. You saw that in the first 25 minutes when the players were really on it. Hopefully, we can harness that and take it into the autumn games. Like I said, these two friendlies have no bearing. 'If you look at the Nations League final between Portugal and Spain, in recent times this Scotland team have shown how competitive they can be against that type of team. What we have to do is make sure when it comes to September, October, November, we're very competitive again.' Adams struck inside just four minutes, with Clarke insisting he was always confident his players would get the job done. 'I know my players, I trust my players. I've had a couple of disappointments, and they've always shown the resilience to come back and do what they can do. This has no bearing on what's going to happen later in the year, but it's nice to finish this camp with a nice win.' Unusually, Clarke shaped with a 4-4-2, Adams and Hirst playing as strike partners. Delighted both got on the score sheet, he didn't rule out the possibility of going with an offensive formation in the future. 'Really pleased for Che. Strikers need goals. It's been a little while since he got one, so I knew he was desperate to score. 'He gets an early one which releases the tension a little bit. I left him on because I knew he'd be desperate for that hat-trick and thankfully he got it right on the final kick. Obviously, the assist for George is big as well, so we play two strikers and both score. It's not the first time I've done it. If you think way back when Lyndon Dykes and Che would be a front two for me, so it's something we've used before.' The Tartan Army enjoyed a happier day in Vaduz than they did last Friday at Hampden against Iceland On his first start for his country, teenager Lennon Miller was another star turn, while Clarke also handed debuts to Ross Doohan, John Doig, Connor Barron, Andy Irving and Kieron Bowie. 'It's always nice to manage to get a few more first caps onto the pitch. So, that's all about building the squad for the future,' he said. 'Obviously, we've got the boys we rely on now, but you look at the end picture on the pitch, there's a lot of inexperienced internationals and hopefully over the coming years, they'll start to pick up more and more caps.' Clarke confirmed assistant John Carver is leaving the set-up after being offered the Lechia Gdansk job on a permanent basis.
BBC News
40 minutes ago
- BBC News
Can hat-trick ignite Adams' Scotland career?
"It's nice to score for Scotland, it's not happened much since I've been here."Fresh from scoring Scotland's first hat-trick in just under six years, and only the sixth since 1969, Che Adams was remarkably foot, right foot, header, the perfect hat-trick will hopefully serve as a confidence boost for the 28-year-old who has struggled, like many, to fire for Scotland. The side's trip to face Liechtenstein had become much more important than they'd have liked, after Friday night's ignominious Hampden defeat against a side ranked 161 places below them was viewed as a given, and any lingering nerves were calmed when Adams lashed in the opener just four minutes into the game - a smart, reactive finish following a sliced Lennon Miller shot.A driven reverse shot wrong-footed Liechtenstein's Benjamin Buchel for his second 20 minutes later, before flashing in a header with the final touch of the ball to wrap up his hat-trick."I'm happy to get on the scoresheet and help the team," Adams added."We knew it'd be difficult, the conditions weren't great, but we were very professional and our mentality was spot on."It was important to sign off this year with the win. We're happy we put things right from the Iceland game." He bagged goals seven, eight and nine for the national side on his 39th cap to get back amongst the goals in dark blue for the first time in just over a year, but it's now three years since his last competitive hat-trick, though, could hopefully spark a goalscoring revival for the Torino forward, who also assisted George Hirst for his first international has been routinely called upon by Clarke to pitch in up top, and Monday was perhaps an indication as to why."It's great for Adams to get his hat-trick," former Scotland defender Willie Miller said on BBC Radio Scotland. "It will give him huge confidence."Adams started alongside Hirst in the Rheinpark Stadion, a formation that Lyndon Dykes, who has started up top with Adams on multiple occassions, credits with getting the best out of said: "At the end of the day, everyone does get judged on goals in that position, so obviously scoring a hat-trick tonight will make him feel much better playing back in a Scotland shirt."Going forward, he'll take that confidence into the next games, I think the formations we played tonight definitely helped the game with the two upfront." Adams' journey from Saints to hat-trick Adams made his debut in March 2021, coming off the bench during a 2-2 draw against Austria in their World Cup 2022 qualifying campaign first goal came two games later against the Faroe Islands, but, like many Scotland forwards, he has struggled for consistency in front of the time, he was playing Premier League football with four of his nine goals have come in competitive games, but he does contribute when not scoring, averaging a goal or assist every 3.5 games.A sole strike in a 4-1 win over Armenia in the Nations League in June 2022 was his last competitive contribution to a side void of attacking has also scored in seven different games for Scotland, who have never lost a game when he gets on the scoresheet. Adams, however, has been routinely called upon by Clarke to pitch in up top, and tonight was an indication as to why."It will be great for his confidence," former Scotland captain Scott Brown told BBC Scotland."I know every striker is judged on goals, but at the same time, it's his performance and work rate as well."What he does for the team, too, his hold-up play and link-up play have been really, really good for Scotland."That's why the manager chose to start him today, to get three goals is pretty much the icing on the cake with the last literal touch of the ball as well."
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Liechtenstein 0-4 Scotland: Steve Clarke soldiers on as Vaduz cruise keeps critics at bay
The SFA board won't be required to convene an emergency meeting this week. Those disgruntled individuals who planned marching on Hampden with their pitchforks can stand down. For now, Steve Clarke goes on. This assignment was the epitome of a hiding to nothing for the increasingly embattled Scotland manager. Anything less than a victory over a micro-state who aren't so much small fish in the international ocean as plankton and his position would have been untenable. While just a fifth win in 22 games certainly won't silence the debate surrounding Clarke's suitability for the job, it does, at least, ensure the issue rolls on to Denmark in September. Make no mistake: in the eyes of his growing band of critics, this wasn't just must-win territory for the Ayrshireman. It was must win well. But on a night that might well have signalled the end of the road for him, his side found themselves on Easy Street. Che Adams ' hat-trick, the first for a Scottish player since John McGinn's against San Marino six years ago, was added to by a first international goal for George Hirst. One of the few bright spots in the debacle against Iceland, the Ipswich forward looks like he has something to offer at this level. Adams we know all about, of course. The Torino man again demonstrated there's more to his game than goals in Vaduz. His running was selfless. His link-up play was excellent. He also claimed the assist for Hirst. On his first start for his country, Lennon Miller also did not put a foot wrong. The Motherwell teenager had a part in the first two goals. He passed and probed and looked impossibly composed. In midfield, at least, come the autumn, Clarke has selection problems of all the right kind. Heaven knows what the lie of the land will be in the goalkeeping department at that juncture. Angus Gunn, Craig Gordon and several others will hope to be fit and available for selection by then. Ross Doohan may also be in the mix. As predicted, the keeper didn't have a lot to do in the shadow of the Alps. Truthfully, he could have dragged the sun lounger he abruptly vacated on to the field and still picked up a clean sheet. Yet, whatever he was asked to do, he did it well. Notwithstanding the inferior opposition, statistically the sixth worst in the world game, this was markedly better than Friday's dismal effort. On a sticky pitch, Scotland moved the ball quickly and with purpose. They started brightly and didn't really relent. They were good value for the margin of victory. There was enough here to view the opening World Cup qualifier in Copenhagen in September with some cautious optimism. The growing sense of crisis has certainly lifted. Much pointed towards this being a comfortable evening for Clarke's players. At 205 in the FIFA rankings, 161 places below Scotland, Liechtenstein's only win in their past 47 internationals had come against Hong Kong. You could not fault the enthusiasm or the spirit of Konrad Funfstuck's players. They ran around and attempted to close down space and shut off passing lines. But their threat was negligible. There was never any question of Doohan cutting short a family holiday in Turkey to sit on a bench. The Celtic- bound keeper started in goal as expected. Cieran Slicker remained inactive, his mind no doubt occasionally flashing back to Friday's horror show. With Kieran Tierney joining Scott McTominay on the injured list, Clarke had no need to run with a system which also accommodated Andy Robertson. He shaped with a more conventional and much-changed back four. McGinn and Lewis Ferguson played wide of Billy Gilmour and Miller. Adams and Hirst played as a partnership, a rarity in international football these days. While the up-and-at-'em 4-4-2 is unlikely to be repeated any time soon, how refreshing it was to watch the Scots play with the handbrake off. These kind of encounters are only ever about the first goal. Get it early and it's then a question of how many. It's when the minutes roll by without securing it that managers start to fret. Clarke only had to wait four minutes to breathe a sigh of relief. Robertson's corner from the right was only half cleared by Maximilian Goppel. Miller didn't need an invitation to shoot. His strike rebounded off the unfortunate Kenny Kindle. Adams took a steadying touch before rifling the ball home. It had taken a year since the Tartan Army last saw a striker score for the side. Adams might already have been a provider. Hirst's movement bought him space to get his head on his partner's cross only for a deflection to take it narrowly wide. McGinn had cut an irritable figure on Friday. He was much more at ease in the sunshine of Vaduz. A drop of the shoulder led to him bounding down the left and crossing. Ferguson was only inches away. Scotland weren't to wait much longer. It was a goal to please any coach, the appetite of Miller to press high the key to ensuring Liechtenstein's attempt to play out from the back came unstuck. Keeper Benjamin Buchel's goal kick asked a lot of Nicolas Hasler. Miller got touch tight on the edge of the box to dispossess him and feed Adams. The Torino man applied a composed finish for his eighth international goal. Scotland could have scored any number after that. Another excellent pass by Miller freed up McGinn down the left. He turned inside his opponent and audaciously went for goal. Buchel saved unconventionally with his left hand. Liechtenstein offered no surprises. They were competitive, dogged but limited. Their only threat in the first half came when Kindle danced away from McGinn, cut inside and let fly. Still his shot didn't force Doohan to make a meaningful save. With the job done at the interval, Clarke's only concern would have been a drop in tempo thereafter. Commendably, his players maintained their levels. Having scored at the start of the first period, they repeated the trick after the turnaround. McGinn's ambitious strike beat substitute keeper Justin Ospelt but not the post. Anthony Ralston fired the loose ball across goal. Adams flicked it on. Lurking at the far post, Hirst made a tricky finish look simple. A pleasing night for Clarke afforded debuts to Josh Doig, Andy Irving, Kieron Bowie and Connor Barron. The run-outs from the bench for Tommy Conway and Nathan Patterson were just as welcome. Doig's story in Italy has been somewhat overshadowed by the exploits of others. But in winning Serie B with Sassuolo, the former Hibs full-back also arrived here with a spring in his step. He looked desperate to mark his first appearance with a goal and twice went close. The changes helped to ensure the game didn't peter out. The fourth arrived in the final minute of time added on. Barron's ball down the channel held up perfectly. Conway's pace allowed him to reach it and put in a deep cross. Adams' header completed the perfect hat-trick and rounded off a fine night's work.
