Bangladesh 185/9 from 50 overs, Scotland 163/10 from 46.2 overs

Bangladesh won the 'other' World Cup final convincingly after a dreadful start, quashing any outstanding doubts about their status as king of the minnows. A strong wind blowing across a bumpy wicket was always likely to favour the bowlers, and unsurprisingly Scotland captain Salmon sent Bangladesh into bat. The Bangladeshis, alledgedly under instruction to keep it tight in the opening overs instead hooked and slashed their way to 26 for 5. But for Minhazul Abedin, promoted up the order to 6, Bangladesh would have had very little to show for their batting efforts. Not to be outdone Scotland lost three early wickets for 9 runs when they came to the crease. As usual Scotland's Yorkshire all-rounder Gavin Hamilton was obliged to take responsibility for seeing Scotland through, but a cruel run out was his undoing, and with him went Scotland's chances.

There was a touch of madness about this fixture. The weather, inevitably cold, switched between rain when there seemed to be nothing but blue sky overhead and shine when the cloud cover was at its thickest and gloomiest. The crowd would not remain in their seats, though there were plenty spare, and a mixed contingent of about 40 Bangladeshis and Scots, led by three fancy dress tigers, spent most of the day circling the boundary chanting alternately "Bangladesh' and 'Scotland' with admirable even-handedness. And the wicket at the Grange is nothing if not idosyncratic, on the crest of a small hill, and with enough angles in it to test the average four by four. But maddest of all was the batting of both sides in the early overs.

Blain bowled with far more composure than he had against Pakistan and showed some of the line and length he had demonstrated against Australia. He troubled Bangladesh batting hero Mehrab Hossain with a lifting ball that he edged high and wide just short of third man. The next delivery had Khaled Masud hooking and missing. Masud was still determined to get the ball away, and he was caught, again on the hook, skying the ball behind the wicket where Philip ran round and took an easy catch.

At the pavillion end Butt, with a nod to Scotland's record wides at Chester-le- Street, opened with the widest wide of the tournament so far, sending the ball so far outside off stump that Hossain would have had to have an extension on his bat to reach it. But he soon settled down and in the sixth over he bowled a full delivery right up at Mehrab who could only send it high to mid on where Dyer held on to it easily. Bangladesh 12 for 1.

The first ball of Blain's fourth over rapped captain Aminul Islam on the pads and he was adjudged leg before, perhaps unluckily as the ball looked to be going down the leg side. Blain developed a touch of the fever and his fifth, wayward, over had a bit of everything. A no ball for a short delivery, four byes down the leg side, a ball that beat the bat and a fine cut by Faruk Ahmed for four through backward point, Bangladesh's first boundary.

Butt, when not bowling wide of off, move the ball around delightfully, and the bowler who was too good for Saeed Anwar last week was too good for Akram Khan at the Grange. The fourth ball of his fifth over beat the former Bangladesh captain who edged into the safe hands of Philip. Faruk Ahmed was next to join the procession to the pavillion, finding an inside edge off the third ball of Blain's next over and playing onto his stumps. He had made 7 off 25 balls and one boundary, which in relative terms was a marathon of an innings.

But change bowlers Hamilton and Brinkley proved less of a threat to Bangladesh. Just as it took 20 overs for Bangladesh to get into their stride (read, shake the cold out of their system) at Dublin so it took 20 overs for the Bangladeshis to show off their strokes here. Abedin reached double figures cutting Brinkley's last two balls of his second over through Butt at third man. Rahman chipped Hamilton in the following over over square leg for four, and drove Hamilton through long on with the same result in his next.

Rahman looked the danger man for Bangladesh as he found time to pick up easy singles. He drove new bowler Stanger for a straightish four back past the bowler and followed up with a four through the covers. Captain Salmond had to do something to break the partnership and the answer was the double change: Brinkley back on from the pavillion end with his away swingers and Dyer at the Inverlieth Park end with his looping offspin. Brinkley struck as Rhaman misjudged a short ball and scooped it to Stanger out for 36 off 57 balls, and the last ball of Dyer's first over found new bat Khaled Mahmud trying to drive off his feet and managing only to send a tricky catch low down to Salmond at midwicket. Bangladesh were now 96 for 7.

With the hundred up Hoque felt sufficiently liberated to play his shots and stroked Dyer immediately through the covers for four. Abedin also began to open up and dispatched successive deliveries from Brinkley to the third man boundary, the second for four with an elegant high cut shot. The large Bangladesh contingent in the crowd cheered every run. For Scotland it looked as if attrition was the favoured policy, but Hoque and Abedin were happy enough to be patient and pick off the bad balls, of which there were plenty.

Hoque's cameo came to an end in the 41st over when he slashed at a ball turning in from outside off and Philip picked up the catch at backward point. Hoque had scored 19 valuable runs and contributed to a partnership of 37 with Abedin. Captain Salmond recalled Hamilton at the pavillion end in the hope he might finish off the game. But the only participant troubled by the Yorkshire all-rounder's first and second returning overs was umpire KT Francis who spread his arms wide on more than one occasion to signal wides. In the 46th over Abedin struck Brinkley, who had come on for Hamilton at the pavillion end, over long on to reach 49, and took a single off the next ball to reach 50. Abedin's innings had hardly set the tie alight but it was vital for Bangladesh.

Blain's pace for once told in his favour in the 47th as he took the wicket of Hussain, catching a poorly controlled shot on the return one handed. But Bangladesh, and in particlular Abedin, were not finished yet. Abedin struck the shot of the day sending Brinkley through the covers for four in the 48th over and then cut him through backward point for four off the next ball. Butt and bowled a tidy penultimate over, but Stanger could not follow suit, leaking runs off every ball for Bangladesh to finish on a useful 185.

The swinging conditions were as likely to suit Bangladesh's bowlers as Scotland's and Manjurul and Hussain wasted no time in making the most of the strong cross wind. Hussain struck with his second ball. Bowling a fullish delivery to Paterson he struck him on the foot. Swinging late the ball looked to be travelling down the leg side but it perhaps atoned for the eariler, equally dubious, dismissal of captain Aminul Islam. In the fifth over Hussain struck again, when Smith failed to get out the way of a shortish delivery and left his bat trailing, carrrying an edge through to keeper Mashud. Smith 1 off 13, and Scotland 8 for 2. In the first ball of the next over Manjurul slid a beauty acoss Philip pitching on leg and rapping him on the pad in front of off. Scotland 8 for 3.

New bat Stanger, despite his extravagant leaves, looked ill-equipped to cope with either bowler's movement and pace. He was lucky to survive whem Hussain beat him in the sixth over and again when Manjurul seamed the last ball of the seventh away from him. Salmond could do little more than pick up a single an over, but he at least looked a little more confident at the crease. He struck Scotland's first boundary off the first ball of the 10th over, cutting Manjurul through the covers to the delight of a Scots crowd that had been reduced to ironic cheers.

Just as they ran out of steam in Dublin so the Bangladesh opening bowlers lost a little of their venom here. Salmond launched into them in the 14th over. He dispatched The first ball off Manjurul over backward point for four, just over the head of Khan, the shortest player on the field, and then launched the next through the overs for another boundary. But off the last ball of the over Manjurul had Scotland back in trouble, as Salmond attempted a cracking cut and Faruq held a super catch cleanly at shortish backward point. Scotland 37 for 4. Hamilton, who had batted so well against Pakistan, seemed the man on whom Scotland's hopes again depended. He got off the mark pushing Manjurul through the off side for a boundary. Abedin, replacing Majurul with his slow spin at the Inverlieth Park end trapped Stanger leg before for 10, leaving Scotland on 49 for 5.

Hussain came in for Mahmud in the 21st over, which seemed all the provocation Hamilton needed. He hit a streaky four over gulley, another to long leg, and almost another through the covers. Hamilton tends to hit the ball solidly when he makes contact which turns edges and mistimed shots into near boundaries. It was crucial for Bangladesh to break the partnership of Brinkley and Hamilton. But Scotland needed no encouragement to lose wickets. Off the third ball of the 27th over Brinkley got himself out swinging at a short ball and skying a catch to a grateful Masud at mid on. 'Keeper Alec Davies, the man who has singularly failed to start a trend by wearing a mouthguard painted with a saltire was next to the crease, and must have been instructed to play foil to Hamilton in the hope that the Yorkshireman might see Scotland through. Hamilton looked the quality bat of the day, pulling Rahman to backward square leg boundary effortlessly in the 32nd over, and continuing to amass runs. Hamilton's 50 came off 62 balls pushing Rahman square in the 38th over. With six an over required off 10, Hamilton swept a six over long leg off Rahman's first ball of the 40th over. Pushing Alec Davies hard he continued to steal singles as the Bangladeshi fielders fumbled the ball. He looked man enough for the task, but was dismissed by a cruel run out. Manjurul returned to finish off his two overs in the 42nd over. Diving down to stop the second ball it hit his hand and then the stumps at the bowler's end. A flailing Hamilton could not get back into his crease in time. The end was nigh. Davies was undone trying a crossbatted shot and Manjurul took a great catch at mid on. In the next over, the 43rd, incumbent Butt hit a hard straight drive through Hoque, the bowler. Rahman came round from deep long on and shied at the stumps only to catch Blain out of his ground going for the second run. Butt swung wildly at the next delivery and holed out to Islam at point who took a simple catch for a fine Bangladesh victory