All-rounder hits century as Ireland makes hay while the sun shines in Malahide; no play on day two of Scotland v Kenya in Glasgow
An unbeaten century from Andrew White put Ireland into a strong position on a sunny day two of its ICC Intercontinental Cup match against Canada at Malahide on Friday.
With day one entirely washed out, it was important Ireland made the most of the more settled weather when it came. And it certainly made the most of that opportunity. The Irishmen scored 326-6 declared and then proceeded to take three Canadian wickets before the close to put themselves firmly in the box seat.
White was the home side’s hero of the day, hitting an unbeaten 109, a knock that included 14 boundaries in 141 deliveries. His fifth-wicket partnership of 154 with Kevin O’Brien was crucial after a very evenly balanced first 50 overs left Ireland on 142-4.
O’Brien made 75 off 97 balls (nine fours and four sixes) and played a fine support role on what was ultimately White’s day to shine.
Then it was the turn of skipper Kyle McCallan to take centre stage. First, the 32-year-old off-spinner ran out opener Ruvindu Gunasekara and then came on to bowl, dismissing Mohammed Iqbal and Sami Faridi inside his first five overs, leaving the visitors reeling on 31-3 at the close.
The job, however, is far from done for Ireland . There is still plenty of batting to come for Canada including Geoff Barnett and Qaiser Ali who are the not-out batsmen overnight.
Also, the weather forecast is poor for the weekend so the Irish will want to make the most of every minute they spend on the field of play.
It was a difficult day for Canada ’s bowlers but Steve Welsh did well, taking 2-89 off 23 overs, as no other bowler took more than one wicket each.
Meanwhile, at Titwood, Glasgow there was no play between Scotland and Kenya as the rain continued to play havoc with this match. That’s two days that the players have been sitting in the pavilion looking out the window rather than playing and the chances of this match producing a result are now fast diminishing.
ICC Intercontinental Cup table (as of 7 August)
P W L D Pts
Namibia 5 5 0 0 82
Scotland 6 3 1 2 72
Ireland 4 3 0 1 69
Kenya 4 3 1 0 66
Netherlands 6 3 3 0 48
UAE 7 1 5 1 29
Canada 6 1 5 0 26
Bermuda 6 1 5 0 26
Key:
Six points for first innings lead
14 points for a win (so, maximum of 20 points per match)
Three points for a draw
Top two sides qualify for the final at a venue to be confirmed
The ICC Intercontinental Cup has quickly grown in stature and profile since its inception three years ago and now the ICC’s premier first-class tournament is an integral part of the Associate Members’ cricket schedule.
Having previously been designed around a two-group, three-day format, the event has evolved into an eight-team, round-robin and truly global tournament featuring four-day cricket which gives those teams who do not play Test cricket the chance to experience the longer form of the game.
Scotland won the first ICC Intercontinental Cup in 2004, beating Canada in the final, while Ireland has been victorious in both events since then, beating Kenya in the 2005 decider and Canada in the 2006-07 event.
The final of the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2007-08 will take place in November 2008 at a venue yet to be confirmed.
ICC MEDIA RELEASE