KYLE Coetzer and Matthew Cross last night blasted Scotland to a first-ever win against a top cricketing nation.
The pair each scored a century in a record-breaking opening stand as the Scots stunned Sri Lanka in a stroll to victory at Beckenham, Kent.
Chasing 288 for their history-making moment, Aberdonian duo Coetzer and Cross never looked back from the moment the latter clipped an early delivery over the ropes at deep square leg for six.
The pair then systematically destroyed the Sri Lankan bowling with a brilliant display of controlled aggression as they first posted 50 in ten overs and then reached 100 just six overs later.
Coetzer, only playing due to their early birth of his second daughter, went on to reach a superb century and was eventually first out for a blistering 118.
His departure sparked a slight stutter as another two batsmen departed in quick succession.
But Cross anchored the innings brilliantly, reaching his century with a boundary to level the scores before the Scots clinched a famous win with seven wickets to spare.
Earlier Scotland made a promising start when Ali Evans found a way through Upul Tharanga’s defences to bowl the dangerous opener for 20.
Better followed when debutant Stuart Whittingham found the edge of Kusul Mendis’ bat and Cross took the catch.
At 36-2 Sri Lanka needed some rebuilding and it was provided by Thisara Perera and Dinesh Chandimal, the former striking back-to-back fours to get the board ticking again.
Perera reached a cultured half-century before holing out to Dylan Budge off Con de Lange but it was Chandimal who was proving the real aggressor, bludgeoning and improvising in equal measure as the Scottish bowlers toiled.
A reverse sweep cleared the ropes before a ramp shot saw him become the second Sri Lankan to reach 50.
The Scots refused to throw in the towel and Chris Sole was rewarded when Angelo Matthews skied a catch to de Lange as the Lions reached 165-4 after thirty overs.
Sri Lanka continued to accumulate runs but their hopes of a big finish appeared to be dealt a blow when Whittingham returned to the attack to remove Chandimal, caught behind, for a belligerent 79 from just 50 balls.
However, Chamara Kapugedera proved an able replacement, striking some lusty blows as the Lions accelerate towards the end of their innings.
The hard-hitting batsman three times cleared the ropes of Evans on his way to being his team’s third half-century maker.
Kupagedera survived a chance when Sole failed to hold onto a difficult return catch and then rubbed salt in the bowler’s wounds by hitting the next ball for another maximum.
The batsman’s luck ran out on 71, though, when he edged behind to give Whittingham his third wicket of an impressive first Scotland outing.
Kupagedera’s finally stalled the charge and it was the Scottish bowlers who finished on top, Evans adding another two wickets to his haul and Sole one as Sri Lanka were all out for 287.
After the match Coetzer paid tribute to the bowlers who set up the victory saying: “The baby arriving early has worked out perfectly for me and it’s been a great day.
“We’ve played a really good game of cricket and I think restricting them to less than 300 on that wicket was key to the win.
“It was an outstanding effort by the bowlers because Sri Lanka came at us hard and at one stage it looked as if they might get away from us.
“But we picked up wickets at good times and were delighted with the total we were left chasing.
“For Crossy and me it was just one of those days. I’m a great believer that if things are going your way you should keep riding the wave and that’s what I did.”
Coetzer, who hit fifteen boundaries and four maximums in a memorable knock, added: “We kept taking the attack to them whereas too often in the past we might have gone into or shell and not believed we could do it.
“But today we showed we were up to the task and I’m really chuffed. Although I got out, Crossy deserves real credit for seeing us all the way home.”
Scotland had previously defeated Australia in a friendly encounter in 1882 and have twice beaten Bangladesh – once in a T20 international – but yesterday’s success was their first win against a top-ranked Test side in a 50-over clash in the modern era.
The sides meet again on Tuesday 23 May.