Boyd Rankin's five-wicket haul coupled with tail end resistance by George Dockrell led Ireland to a nail-biting last ball win over Scotland, giving them the perfect momentum going into this weekend's World Cup Qualifier tournament opener.

After winning the toss, the Scots chose to bat first under grey skies, but were soon in trouble as  a devastating spell of new-ball bowling by Tim Murtagh (3-42) saw both openers back in the pavilion with only 12 runs on the board – the dangerous Coetzer (5), and keeper Matt Cross (0) who had scored a century earlier in the week against Papua New Guinea.

Four more wickets fell by the 16th over mark, with the giant Bready paceman Boyd Rankin (5-38) wreaking havoc with the Scottish middle order.

Rankin’s pace and bounce were too much for many, but with Scotland teetering on 60-6, the Scottish pair of Matthew Leask and George Munsey found themselves with a rescue effort required.

And rescue the innings, they did. The pair first steadied and then dominated the bowling, putting on 156 runs in 28 overs for the seventh wicket with Leask (91 runs; 7 fours, 2 sixes) and Munsey (77 runs; 2 fours, 2 sixes) lifting the Scottish total to a competitive 239 (all out, 49.3 overs).

Barry McCarthy was the other wicket taker for Ireland with 2-54.

The Ireland innings got off to a rocky start losing opener Paul Stirling for 3. The Belfast man was in magnificent form having scored 312 runs across his last two innings, but today he fell early, caught off the bowling of Stuart Whittingham (2-36).

To the wicket strode Andrew Balbirnie who had scored 97, 44 and 37 in his last three innings. Balbirnie once again looked to play the mainstay innings today, scoring 79 runs (100 balls; 4 fours, 1 six) and batting for 35 overs, and featuring in a 90-run partnership with Niall O’Brien (35).

As wickets fell around him, Balbirnie was determined to remain positive but finally fell caught behind with Ireland still requiring 82 runs from the last 11.4 overs.

George Dockrell proved the hero in a match-winning innings of 47* (38 balls; 3 fours), starting with a 46-run partnership off seven overs with Gary Wilson (21), he then shepherded the tail through the last overs.

The loss of Wilson left Ireland with 38 runs to win off 27 balls, and when McCarthy was trapped lbw by Evans the equation was 19 needed off nine.

Boyd Rankin struck his first two balls faced to the boundary, which was followed by a wide and a further two to leave 8 needed from the final over.

Rankin and Dockrell kept their cool to level the scores with one balls left, and the nerveless Dockrell thumped the last ball to the ropes to seal a morale-boosting win going into the tournament proper against The Netherlands in Harare on Sunday. WCQ Warm-up

IRELAND v SCOTLAND,  Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo

Scotland 239 all out (49.3 overs; M Leask 91, G Munsey 77, C MacLeod 29; B Rankin 5-38, T Murtagh 3-42, B McCarthy 2-54)

Ireland 243-8 (50 overs; A Balbirnie 79, G Dockrell 44*, N O'Brien 35, G Wilson 21; S Whittingham 2-36, T Sole 2-53, A Evans 2-64)

Ireland XI won by two wickets.