SCO vs ENG 2018: Scotland's win over England has made up for World Cup Omission - Safyaan Sharif

It would arguably be the biggest day in Scotland cricket history, as they defeated England by six runs in the only ODI at Edinburgh.

Who would have even predicted Scotland to beat the No 1 ODI team in the world? It will wake the Englishmen up ahead of the five-match ODI series against the Aussies. It was a sensational knock of 140 off 94 deliveries by Calum MacLeod which helped Scotland post their highest ODI total of 371 runs on the board.

In the bowling department, Scotland held their nerves and sealed a close six runs victory. The hero of the final over for Scotland, Safyaan Sharif said his team’s action spoke louder than their words.

Scotland missed out on the World Cup qualification berth quite narrowly, and Sharif said this victory would more or less make up for the heartbreak.

Sharif says the victory makes up for the heartbreak,

It was a questionable LBW decision against the Windies in the World Cup Qualifiers which prevented them from going through. Sharif said it was indeed a special victory.

“Definitely it does,” Sharif told Sky Sports. “I mean England’s a brilliant side, everyone knows that, and to get a victory, scoring 370 against a top quality side, means the world to Scotland, so well done once again.

“I’m not going to say anything,” Sharif added when asked if the achievement sent a message to those at the ICC who decided to reduce the size of the World Cup. “They’ll have seen it all today so hopefully they’ll click onto that.”

“It was just an incredible effort from the lads, they’ve just proven once again that they are capable of playing at this standard, and they did really well throughout the innings. Up top, it was tough in the second half but we managed to pull things back and did the job, so really… I’m lost for words, I don’t know what to say,” Sharif added.

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Coetzer echoes same sentiments

The skipper of the Scotland team was also of the same opinion. He hailed the team after they came back strongly after a disappointing exit in Harare.

“I was extremely proud first of all, but it is a trait we are starting to get very, very good at,” he said. “With the ball in hand, we’ve been very good over the last few years, and especially coming off the back of Zimbabwe, this being our first game of the year, it’s been an outstanding performance.

“Look, 371 played 365, it’s an outstanding game, bowlers found it hard on a flat wicket with small boundaries, but it’s great to be this side of the fence.”

Sharif conceded 71 runs but bagged the most important wicket when it mattered the most. He backed his ability at the death. He got some late swing.

“I just knew if I bowl the right line and hit my yorker, it’s going to tail [in], and luckily once again I managed to hit that yorker and got that wicket, which was an absolutely great feeling to get over the line. Definitely, I’ve been working hard on [reverse swing] towards the end of an innings and we managed to get that wicket there. It’s unbelievable.

Coetzer admits that he was searching for answers during Bairstow onslaught,

The Scotish skipper admitted to the fact that it was when Bairstow’s sensational 59 balls 105 that he felt powerless. Bairstow was quite exceptional and played some audacious shots.

“Especially in the first Powerplay, when you’re only allowed two guys out, literally whenever we moved a fielder, he hit it somewhere else,” Coetzer said. “He’s obviously in fine form, he struck the ball cleanly from the start of his innings. Basically, I was just hoping he mishit one, and thankfully that happened.

“We knew it was tough,” Sharif added. “The wicket was good, it was a fast outfield, we just needed to keep bashing our lengths, keep mixing it up and we’ll get the wickets, and luckily we did. It means a lot to the crowd and a lot to us. We’ve been waiting so long for this victory and we managed to do that today with the positive attitude that the lads brought into the game, so well done.”

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