Germany and Spain served up the match of the tournament so far before the Germans won their first match of the week by three wickets off the last ball.
When the bottom team in Group B lost three wickets in three overs and scored only 15 runs from eight overs, it looked as if their pursuit of Spain’s 146 all out would go out with a whimper. After their faltering middle, Germany had left themselves 47 to win from just six overs. It was Krishna Cholleti who upped the tempo in the 35th over when he hit his side’s first boundary in 90 balls. Eight came off that over and there was the first hint of an exciting finish.
However, only five came off the next and when Sandeep Singh had Cholleti caught off the first ball of the 37th, Spain were firm favourites. But at the other end, Steven Richards was just warming up. The Germany captain hit three fours in the next three overs and intelligently keeping the strike at every opportunity got the target down to 12 off six balls.
Christian Hein took a single off the first ball of the last over and Richards then did the rest, with a two, four and two more off the fifth to level the scores. Having lost fewer wickets that would have been enough for Germany but just to make sure Richards hit the final delivery down the ground for the winning run.
It left all that had gone before in the shade but the second wicket stand of 77 between Konrad Fuchs and Jaskaran Singh give Germany the confidence to go on and produce their best performance.
Tom Vine was top scorer for Spain, he hit 42 from a marathon 113 balls, the backbone of an innings which was ended with a flourish by Singh who hit 28 off 23 balls. But it was Richards and Germany who were to have the last word.