Howzat?! Scots beat England... at cricket

SCOTLAND is not especially well-known for its prowess at cricket – they are ranked 13th out of only 14 One Day International sides.

But a determined Scottish squad pulled off possibly their greatest win with a historic first yesterday by beating England – ranked number one in the world – with a shock six-run victory.

England has won 350 out of 707 one-day international tournaments and also finished as runners-up in three Cricket World Cups.

But yesterday the Scots beat them amid scenes of jubilation at Edinburgh’s tiny Grange ground, which has a capacity of only 3,000.

In one of England’s most embarrassing defeats, the Scots edged the auld enemy with a score of 371 to 365.

The English side were missing some of their key players, with Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes injured.

Callum MacLeod’s outstanding 140 not out took the home side to victory in exceptional batting conditions in the capital, sparking huge celebrations in the stands, while England fans took to social media to express their disbelief at the result. On Twitter, Mike Parry wrote: ‘Have Scotland just beaten England… AT CRICKET… I think I’ll go for a lie down…’

Dean Spooner said: ‘We lost to Scotland at cricket – I didn’t even know Scotland had a cricket team.’

The victory was Scotland’s first match since being denied a place in next year’s World Cup by the West Indies in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Scotland cricketer Safyaan Sharif said yesterday’s victory would go some way to making up for that disappointment.

He added: ‘England are a brilliant side, everyone knows that. Scoring 370 against a top side means the world to Scotland.’