3rd: Scotland
20 matches, 24 points (11 wins, 7 losses, 2 no-results)
While there is no reason for the defending League 2 winners to panic, sitting inside the top four, their recent two win/two defeat home tri-series with the Dutch and Nepal will leave a slightly sour taste in the mouth.
Their victories in the series were bookended by a heart-breaking one-wicket defeat to Karan KC and Nepal, and then O’Dowd’s explosive maiden ODI hundred in another final-over thriller, as Associate cricket’s high drama and infitiesimal margins were underlined once more.
On the table, the consequences of the two tight finishes are reflected. Instead of sitting pretty and above the Dutch, they open the door for Nepal and other teams below them to make a push in the second half.
The home stand was almost a microcosm of their campaign on the whole. Sluggish in their start, dropping two matches to Canada in UAE, the Scots did find a rhythm through eight wins in a stretch of 11 matches, before the dropped points in Dundee.
At their best, the Scots possess the firepower to match anyone, including the sides they would take on if they were to qualify for the World Cup proper.
