Leask cherishes dashing cameo against England

Scotland batsman Michael Leask, surprisingly, beat England spinner James Tredwell to the Man of the Match award – after Friday's rain-affected one-off ODI at Mannofield Park in Aberdeen.

Scotland batsman Michael Leask, surprisingly, beat England spinner James Tredwell to the Man of the Match award – after Friday's rain-affected one-off ODI at Mannofield Park in Aberdeen.

The English won the fixture reasonably comfortably, by 39 runs in fact, with Tredwell's final figures of four for 41 key to success. Leask, however, was given the accolade on the back of an enterprising cameo.

"I'm quite a confident person when I go into bat," said the 23-year-old Leask. "I know I can hit the ball quite cleanly – and if I aim straight I usually connect quite well. The bank has been put on the back-burner just now. I'm hoping takes off for me, and this is a platform I can build from."

The talented right-hander struck all of five sixes in an innings that brought 42 runs off a mere 16 deliveries. He was particularly attacking against Tredwell, who on occasion struggled to grip the ball in conditions hampered by inclement weather earlier.

"Leask] has got a lovely swing of the bat – and when he hit it, it stayed hit.
"It was quite hard to keep getting after Tredwell – he keeps pulling it back a little bit, even when the ball was extremely wet and he wasn't getting much grip on it at all," added triumphant captain Alastair Cook.

"But Leask was dangerous, and that's what Twenty20 cricket is about. One guy can win a game. It would have needed him to get 80 or 90 to do it – but while he was still in, it was definitely a possibility."