After a disappointing performance against Jersey yesterday, a motivated Denmark team were eager to step onto the pitch and put in a convincing display against their Nordic rivals Norway. The only match of the day, following the rained-out fixture between these two sides on Saturday, all eyes were on KGV to see how the drama would unfold.

Under beautiful blue skies, Denmark captain Hamid Mazhar won the toss and decided to pad up and have a bat. This decision proved fruitful, with the Danish openers scoring 55 without loss after the first 8 overs. However, once the top order fell, wickets arrived at regular intervals, with Prithvi Bhart, Syed Ahmed and Raza Iqbal each taking 2 wickets for Norway.

The Danish score continued to rise at a steady pace, but the lack of a partnership in the final 10 overs, restricted by some economical bowling from the fast-left arm of Hayatullah Niazi, prevented an unassailable total. In the end, Denmark finished on a very comfortable 141/7 from their 20 overs.

Looking to pick up their first win of the event, Norway did not get off to the best of starts, finding themselves 4 down after 7 overs with just 31 runs on the board. Tafseer and Niazi tried their best to start a recovery, and despite protecting their wickets for a few overs, they struggled to pick up the required runs. Wickets continued to fall regularly after this, and Norway never looked likely to catch the target, eventually finishing on 95/9 from their 20 overs and giving Denmark a 46-run win. Laegsgaard and Ahmad were the pick of the Danish bowlers, collectively picking up 5 wickets for 14 runs from their 6 overs.

Away from the field, Germany were forced to replace three players from their squad overnight due to injuries picked up from the match against Italy yesterday. Captain Venkat Ganesan (broken finger), wicket keeper Daniel Weston (broken finger) and top order batsman Vijayshankar Chikkannaiah (knee contusion) have all been assessed as unfit to take any further part in the tournament as a result of their injuries.

Replacing these three players will be Amith Sharma, Harish Srinivasan and Michael Richardson, who will all be available for selection ahead of tomorrow’s matches against Norway and Jersey at College Fields.