Finland have provided a shock result at the third and final European sub-regional qualifier for the next men's T20 World Cup after beating hosts Guernsey by four runs at Port Soif today.
It intially looked like play was going to be unlikely with the ground in the midst of some heavy morning rain, but a sterling effort from the groundstaff once the rain stopped enabled a 13-over match to be played, with the home side opting to bowl first after winning the toss.
Guernsey fielded well in challenging conditions with the high winds making the path of a ball in flight difficult to predict and were able to take some tricky catches in the deep. Atif Rasheed top scored for the visitors with 23 as they were bowled out for 90. Luke Bichard and Martin-Dale Bradley both took three wickets for the hosts.
After starting their chase in reasonable fashion, Guernsey suddenly collapsed from 26-1 to 36-6, with Josh Butler's 21 the only score of note amongst the top five. Captain Oliver Nighingale did his best to keep Guernsey in the game as more wickets fell, and heading into the final over his team needed 15 with two wickets in hand.
Finland appeal for a wicket (Martin Gray)
Number 10 Charlie Forshaw was caught and bowled by Atif Rasheed from the first ball of that last over, before a single brought Nightingale back on strike. The next ball went for six, and he followed that with a two. With six needed from two balls, Nightingale went for a risky second to get back on strike and was run out, ending the game and giving Finland a surprise four run win.
The morning match over at KGV between Denmark and Spain fell victim to the weather and the teams split the points, with Denmark well out in front on net run rate at the top of their group after two big wins in their first two matches.
The afternoon match at Port Soif started on time with Estonia winning the toss and choosing to bowl first in much better conditions than the morning session. Firas Hussain top scored for the Bulgarians with an unbeaten 40 as they made 129-8 from their 20 overs. Estonia had little trouble with their target, winning by eight wickets with three overs to spare, Steffan Gooch top scoring with 58 and Bilal Masud contributing an unbeaten 44.
The afternoon match at KGV had a delayed start, but started in time for - in theory - a full 20 over match. Greece were bowled out for 100 with Christodoulos Bogdanos top scoring with 25 before he had to retire hurt. Cyprus made short work of the run chase, knocking their target off in 12.2 overs to win by eight wickets.
Tomorrow morning, Czechia and Bulgaria will be looking for their first wins when they take on Cyprus and Malta respectively. In the afternoon, hosts Guernsey will look to bounce back when they play Estonia whilst Spain face Greece.
