Kathryn Bryce hits stunning century and takes three wickets, but Scotland fall short in must-win clash.
Kathryn Bryce delivered a masterclass with bat and ball in Lahore, but her heroics were ultimately in vain as Scotland suffered a heartbreaking one-wicket defeat to Ireland that ends their Women’s World Cup qualification hopes.
The ICC qualifier clash, already a high-pressure encounter for the Scots, turned into a final-ball thriller. Scotland needed a commanding victory and for Bangladesh to lose their next match to stand a chance of progressing. Ireland, already out of the running, played with freedom—and it showed.
Scotland were in deep trouble at 19-3 when Bryce strode in to steady the ship. What followed was a captain’s innings of rare brilliance. Unbeaten on 131 from 143 deliveries, Bryce batted through the innings, hitting 14 boundaries and two sixes. It was her highest one-day international score and the cornerstone of Scotland’s record ODI total of 268-7.
She shared valuable partnerships with Ailsa Lister (27 off 28 balls), Megan McCall (15), Katherine Fraser (33), and Priyanaz Chatterji (26). Rachel Slater joined her for the death overs, finishing on 13 not out as Bryce struck her final boundary from the last ball of the innings to cap a remarkable knock.
Ireland’s reply began strongly, with captain Gaby Lewis scoring a fluent 61. Her opening stand of 109 with Sarah Forbes laid the foundation, but once the partnership broke, wickets began to tumble. Leah Paul (11), Louise Little (1), and Sophie McMahon (3) fell in quick succession, and Scotland sensed an opening.
Bryce, not content with her batting performance, returned with the ball to claim three wickets for 49 runs, including the key scalp of Lewis. But the turning point came late in the innings, with Ireland’s Laura Delany grinding out an unbeaten 57.
Delany’s composed knock under pressure proved crucial. With wickets tumbling around her, she found a partner in Jane Maguire, and the pair added 50 runs in just 36 balls for the eighth wicket. The pendulum swung once more when Maguire was dismissed in the 49th over, and even more so when Bryce bowled Ava Canning after conceding a boundary in the final over.
But in a gut-wrenching finale, Delany and Cara Murray eked out two crucial leg byes from the final two balls, sealing victory for Ireland and crushing Scotland’s faint hopes of World Cup qualification.
The defeat leaves Scotland with two wins from five group matches—level with Ireland, but behind group leaders Pakistan and Bangladesh, who are now in pole position to reach the tournament in India this autumn. Only a massive win for the West Indies over Thailand and a Pakistani victory over Bangladesh can now alter the final two qualifiers.
Despite the outcome, Bryce’s individual performance will go down as one of the finest all-round displays in Scottish cricket history. Yet the result underlines the fine margins of tournament cricket, where even greatness can go unrewarded.
As the sun sets on Scotland’s campaign, it ends not with disappointment over effort, but with heartbreak over what could have been.
