CALUM MacLeod proved to be the difference for Scotland as they beat Canada by four wickets in the ICC World Cricket League Championship in Ayr. The 23-year-old Glaswegian reached 99 not out as he steered Scotland to victory almost single-handedly.
The match had been abandoned on previous days this week due to the continuous rainfall in the area, but the weather stayed fair as the hosts set about the Canada batsmen after electing to field.
Opener Ruvindu Gunasekera scored 53 for Canada but only Zeeshan Siddiqi (43) made another telling contribution before he hit his own wicket.
Gordon Goudie and Majid Haq were the pick of the Scotland bowlers, taking two wickets each as the visitors were bowled out for 176 in the final over, before MacLeod took centre stage, hitting 12 fours on his way to 99 not out, although his task was made harder as none of his team-mates stayed with him for a long period of time.
Only Josh Davey (23) and Goudie (17) reached double-figures but MacLeod’s runs were enough to ease Scotland to victory and boost the country’s hopes of reaching the next World Cup.