McCreath and Cross powers Scotland to winning start in tri-series

Scotland got out of trouble thanks to a 57-run sixth-wicket partnership between debutant Finlay McCreath and Matthew Cross, which set them up for a winning start in the T20 tri-series. Netherlands were reduced to 76 for 5 early on thanks to the efforts of Aryan Dutt and Zach Lion-Cachet, but Scotland came back to win by 39 runs. Scotland got off to a mixed start when they batted first, with George Munsey scoring a 30-ball 30 and offspinners Dutt and Lion-Cachet scoring twice each in the first 11 overs. However, McCreath (40 off 28 balls) and Cross (33 off 24 balls) ensured that they would reach a score that was competitive but not intimidating as Netherlands responded with 3 for 27 off the last 20 balls of the innings. However, Netherlands did not use that momentum in their pursuit of 161. With Michael Levitt's 30-ball 36, runs were scored at one end for a while, but wickets kept falling at the other. Netherlands were in danger of falling short of 100 in the 15th over, at 93 for 9, but a 28-run partnership between Dutt and Paul van Meekeren (20* off 11) ensured that didn't happen. With 21 balls, it was the second-longest partnership of the innings. Safyaan Sharif, Mark Watt, and Jack Jarvis each took two wickets for Scotland. Levitt was bowled by Michael Leask, who gave up just 19 runs in four overs.