Scots Go Out With A Whimper

Scotland's World Cup campaign ended with an eight-wicket defeat to Holland in St Kitts as they were bowled out for just 136.

Scotland descended to a hugely disappointing and anti-climactic eight-wicket defeat against Holland, after mustering only 136 all out in their last World Cup Group A match at Warner Park.
A fixture billed as a private final between these two associate member teams never threatened as a worthwhile contest, after Billy Stelling took three for 12 in eight overs with the new ball.
Scotland lurched to a debilitating 15 four – having been put in following overnight rain – and failed to ever regain a feasible chance of recording a first Cup win in their history.
Ryan ten Doeschate (70 not out) and Bas Zuiderent shared an unbroken third-wicket stand of 102 to finish the match with almost 27 overs of their innings to spare as Holland beat Scotland for the first time in their last four attempts.
The Scots lost Navdeep Poonia to Stelling from only the second ball of the day – edging behind a ball pitched just short of a good length which nipped away off the seam.
Three overs later, Darron Reekers struck when Majid Haq managed little foot movement as he missed a straight ball and was bowled.
Two more hammer blows were on their way for the Scots, courtesy of Stelling – who was back in the Holland team after having to miss their last match against Australia with a minor back injury.
Gavin Hamilton was surprised to be given out lbw to a ball which might have just clipped the top of leg-stump and perhaps involved some bat in any case.
There was less doubt about Asoka de Silva's next decision, Dougie Brown pushing forward and missing another straight one first ball.
Stelling might have had two more wickets, if it had not been for Daan van Bunge's fallibility at first slip – where he dropped Haq and then Neil McCallum.
Ryan Watson and McCallum had much work to do to even hint at a recovery. They did so only until the number three crunched a straight drive back at Tim de Leede, who clung on to a memorable catch in his first over.
McCallum had begun to look like a batsman on his way back into form by the time he cut Mark Jonkman to gully – giving the seamer his second wicket, after Colin Smith had edged a ball which jagged back off the seam on to the top of his leg-stump.
Captain Craig Wright decided he had to counter-attack but merely got himself stumped to become young off-spinner Muhammad Kashif's first Cup victim.
Glenn Rogers emerged as Scotland's unlikely top-scorer in what amounted to little more than a token fightback in an innings which lasted only 34.1 overs.
Rogers eventually became Kashif's second victim, laying back to force a ball into the off-side but instead edging behind – and the procession was completed when number 11 Paul Hoffmann holed out off van Bunge.
The leg-spinner, famously dispatched for six sixes in an over by South Africa's Herschelle Gibbs last week, therefore at least got himself in the wickets column.
Holland's reward for skittling Scotland out ahead of schedule was to have to start their innings twice – and in the 12 overs before a 40-minute lunch break, they reached 61 for two.
John Blain got rid of Darron Reekers – whose attempted hit over the top presented mid-off with a routine catch – and then had Eric Szwarczynski mistiming a hit to leg for a gentle skier to wicketkeeper Smith.
Scotland did not have enough runs to play with, though, and ten Doeschate moved serenely to a 61-ball 50 which contained eight fours and a straight six off Rogers and left Zuiderent seven runs short of the same milestone.