Munsey hits ton as Scotland thrash Namibia
Accumulate 48 points from 33 matches, claim ICC Cricket World Cup League-II title
Published: 10:54 am Feb 16, 2023
Kathmandu, February 15
George Munsey scored a scintillating century as Scotland thrashed Namibia by 10 wickets in the One Day International match under the ICC Cricket World Cup League-II here at the TU Stadium today.
Batting first, Namibia were bowled out for a paltry 153 runs in 39.2 overs before Scotland raced to 157-0 with 167 balls to spare. Namibia had faced a two-wicket defeat at the hands of Nepal in the first match of tri-series yesterday.
Chasing a low total, Scotland openers Munsey and Kyle Coetzer overcame the target in 22.1 overs. Player-of-thematch Munsey dominated the partnership scoring a quick fire 103 not out off 61 balls that included 12 fours and seven sixes, while Coetzer remained unbeaten on 72-ball 46 with the help of seven boundaries.
Earlier, Namibia opener Lo-handre Louwrens top scored with 54 off 88 balls with the help of five boundaries, while Bernard Scholtz was the next best at 30. Zane Green contributed 25, while Pikky Ya France (11) was the other Namibia batter who scored in double figures. Michael Leask was the pick of the Scotland bowlers taking 4-24, while Safyaan Sharif (3-29) and Mark Watt (3-30) shared six wickets between them.
With their 23rd win in 33 matches, Scotland accumulated 48 points and clinched the championship. With three matches to play, Scotland took an unassailable lead. Oman, who have completed all of their 36 matches, are at the second position with 44 points and the Namibia loss confirmed their top three finish.
Namibia are third on 37 from 32 matches, followed by the United States of America (35 from 36 matches) and the United Arab Emirates (27 from 26 matches).
Nepal are languishing at the sixth position with 20 points from 25 matches, whereas Papua New Guinea are at the bottom with just five points from 28 matches. After the completion of the four-year cycle, top three teams will advance to the 2023 Cricket World Cup Global Qualifier, while the bottom four will play in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier Play-off along with top two teams from the Challenge League. Top two teams from the Play-off tournament will advance to the Global Qualifier. Also, the top five teams in the League-II will keep their ODI status.
A version of this article appears in the print on February 16, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.