SCOTLAND produced perhaps one of their best displays in recent years to reach the ICC Trophy quarter-finals with a resounding 57-run victory over top seeds Bermuda in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
Openers Iain Philip and Bryn Lockie provided the perfect platform with a stand of 98, taking on the Bermuda bowlers with a series of perfectly-timed shots.
They were especially quick to punish anything straying down the leg-side as the first 50 runs came up in 11 overs.
Both, however, went to smart stumpings by Dean Minors, Lockie (33) going at 98 to the bowling of former Freuchie player Delano Hollis and Philip (49) perishing a run later to Arnold Manders.
After Mike Smith had been smartly caught at slip, captain George Salmond, in company with Greig Williamson, maintained the momentum, both batsmen pinching sharp singles as the Bermuda fielding became decidedly ragged.
Salmond had made 44 from 64 balls when he was controversially run out although it appeared that the wicket had been broken before the ball arrived. Salmond's protest at the decision subsequently earned him a rebuke from the match referee.
However, Williamson reached 42 from only 46 balls before losing his off-stump to Janeiro Tucker but the willingness of the later batsmen to keep chasing the game enabled Scotland to finish on 231-8 from their 50 overs.
Bermuda never recovered from the loss of their captain Albert Steede in Mike Allingham's first over, and the introduction of the medium-paced Stuart Kennedy and the spin of Keith Sheridan forced them into defensive mode.
Sheridan was rewarded with the wickets of Glen Smith and Charles Marshall, off-spinner Ian Beven then stepped in to dismiss Manders and Tucker in the same over and Allingham wrapped up the tail.
Kennedy returned the excellent figures of two wickets for 20 runs in 10 overs while Sheridan 2-24 and Beven 2-29. Allingham was, however, a little flattered to finish with 3-34 as Scotland maintained their 100 per cent record to finish as Group D champions.
Ireland had to rely on Kenya beating the United States for their place in the next phase and fast bowler Martin Suji quickly obliged, taking five for seven from his 10 overs as the Americans were dismissed for 32 in reply to 243 for seven. No American scored more than four runs.
The ICC Trophy match between Holland and Canada in Malaysia was abandoned before a ball had been bowled when 300 Muslim demonstrators took over the PKNS ground. They were objecting to the presence of Israel in the qualifying tournament.