Mark Watt takes 5-33 as Scotland inflict more misery on UAE

Mark Watt picked up his first one-day international five-wicket haul to send the UAE to another crushing defeat against Scotland in Aberdeen.

The left-arm spinner had already tormented the national team once on this Cricket World Cup League 2 tour, when he took four wickets in the opening fixture.

This time round he took five for 33 as the hosts thrashed the UAE by 86 runs at Mannofield.

The result meant Scotland continue to zero in on Oman, who currently hold the lead in the league, which forms part of the qualifying process for the 2023 World Cup in India.

The top three teams advance automatically to the global qualifier next year. The remaining four will be left to compete in a last-chance repechage event to try to make it there.

Given the UAE’s downturn in form, their place in the Qualifier is far from assured. The national team have suffered three consecutive defeats on tour so far.

One more, against US on Tuesday, would see the Americans leapfrog them and take third place in the table.

“Today was another opportunity to increase that gap, but we failed to do that,” said UAE captain Ahmed Raza

“We have one last chance and we want to make sure that [one-point] gap remains.”

The UAE’s bowlers started the day in fine fashion, with Kashif Daud dismissing Craig Wallace with the third ball he sent down – and a ball after being blazed for six.

UAE spinner Rohan Mustafa bowls against Scotland during his team's 64-run defeat in the tri-series match at Mannofield Park, Aberdeen, on August 10, 2022. All images Peter Della Penna / Cricket Scotland

His new-ball partner Junaid Siddique was no less fiery, accounting for the other opener Kyle Coetzer shortly afterwards.

In truth, the bowling effort hardly let up thereafter. The