ICC/CricketEurope

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After the jubilation of Friday’s victory over The Netherlands, Italy were abruptly brought back to earth by Scotland at The Vineyard on Saturday, losing by six wickets despite some determined bowling from their seam attack.

The problem was in the batting, where they again made a poor start on a pitch which offered both seamers and spinners considerable assistance, and were allowed no way back by an efficient Scottish bowling side.

First John Blain proved too sharp for the top order, taking three for 18 in a lively opening spell as the Italians collapsed to 37 for four in the space of 11 overs.

This time that included Friday’s hero, captain Joe Scuderi, who was given out caught behind by Colin Smith, the third of six catches for the Scottish keeper.

Then spinners Majid Haq and Glenn Rogers took over, getting both massive turn and considerable bounce, and all the Italian batsmen found scoring difficult through the middle part of the innings.

Alessandro Bonora and Hemantha Jayasena resisted for some time, adding 27 for the fifth wicket, but once Bonora was run out attempting an over-ambitious second run wickets began to tumble in earnest.

Haq took three for 22 and Rogers one for 18, and it required an enterprising last-wicket stand of 38 – the highest of the innings – from Vincenzo Pennazza and Din Alaud to get the total up to 125.

Alaud made 21 before becoming Smith’s sixth and final victim, with Pennazza left not out on 15.

Alaud and Pennazza then teamed up again when the Scots replied, producing eleven tight overs against batsmen intent on chasing down a relatively low total.

It was Pennazza who removed Ryan Watson, inducing him to edge to Scuderi at slip shortly after the Scottish captain had survived a leg-before appeal which must have been perilously close.

Gregor Maiden batted his way through this difficult period, but then clipped Andy Northcote straight to Gayshan Munasinghe in the off-spinner’s first over.

Maiden had made 25, and he and Qasim Sheikh had added 54 for the second wicket. Sheikh fell four overs later, adjudged leg-before to the same bowler for 33, and Scotland were 80 for three.

Colin Smith and Ritchie Berrington brought their side to within 10 runs of victory, not without a certain measure of good fortune, before Smith chased a widish ball from Jayasena and top-edged to Italian substitute Dylan Sarnelli.

Berrington and Neil McCallum soon knocked off the remaining runs, however, and Scotland retained their unbeaten record. It was a competent effort by the Scots, although one was left with the sense that they still have some way to go before they are in anything like top form.