Scotland had their bowlers to thank as they delivered a 43-run victory over Namibia in Kirtipur.
Defending 221, spinners Mark Watt and Michael Leask shared seven wickets between them to ensure they bounced back from defeat against Nepal.
The Scots had several players get starts with the bat, without going on to capitalise with a big score. Chris McBride (47) was the pick of them, while Tom Mackintosh, captain Richie Berrington and Leask all chipped in.
In response, Namibia appeared to be moving along nicely at 112 for two with Lo-handre Louwens (52) and Gerhard Erasmus (43) before a batting collapse.
Leask continued his impressive tour with three-for-42 and Watt (four-for-41) was as reliable as ever. All-rounder Brandon McMullen chipped in with a couple of wickets as Namibia collapsed to 178 all out.
“We are happy with the victory,” said head coach Shane Burger. “It wasn’t the ideal display, but it shows real character when you can win in that way.
“It was also pleasing, after losing the toss, to defend our total as it has tended to be a bit easier for the teams chasing at this ground in recent days.
“From a batting point of view, it was good to see Chris McBride get off to a good start and post a good score [47]. He is playing well at the moment and getting starts, so going forward I’m sure he can go on and get some big scores.
Scotland kept the Namibians under pressure
“It was also good to see Liam Naylor on debut (20) get a start, but along with Chris and some other lads he would have wanted to kick on once he was set.
With youngsters McBride and Mackintosh contributing with the bat, plus Liam Naylor becoming the third debutant of the trip, Scotland gave an insight into what the future might look like.
“In terms of the bowling, we knew we had to be disciplined and I didn’t think we were throughout, we didn’t put pressure on their batters all of the time,” added Burger.
“However, having said that I was really impressed with the way Michael Leask bowled and he has put in three great performances on this trip and is continuing to show his worth as a cricketer. He genuinely is a world class player.
“Then Mark Watt managed to get breakthroughs and keep the Namibians under pressure.
“I’m particularly happy with the fightback. We were under pressure a couple of times during that game and managed to come back.”
Scotland, who have already secured top spot in World Cup League 2, round off the tour against host nation Nepal on Tuesday morning.
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