Scotland's cricketers pulled off the greatest victory in their history to beat England for the first time amid scenes of disbelief and jubilation at the tiny Grange ground in Edinburgh on Sunday. The world's top-ranked ODI team lost by six runs after just failing to pull off what would have been the second highest one-day international run chase. It's an incredible result for Scotland against the world No.1 ODI team. Credit:Jane Barlow/PA Wire Scotland's Safyaan Sharif sparked a pitch invasion when he trapped Mark Wood lbw with an inswinging yorker in the 49th over just when England looked like they might avoid an infamous defeat that ranks alongside their loss to Ireland at the 2011 World Cup. England were all out for 365 after Scotland made 371 for five, their highest total in a one-day international.<doc-sep>Scotland (371/5) beat England (365) by six runs England’s first game ranked as the best team in one-day cricket ended in the humiliation of defeat to Scotland who claimed a famous victory by six runs in a thrilling match that made a mockery of the decision to cut the associate nations from next year’s World Cup. A pitch invasion and a blast of Flower of Scotland greeted the home side’s win, the most famous in their history as they held their nerve in a tense run chase that gave England a reminder of their fallibility a year out from a World Cup they are the favourites to win. England’s batting is their strength but their bowling is susceptible and Scotland showed up that weakness in style as they hit the highest ever score by an associate. England had their chances to win and were at times coasting towards their target of 372 but none of their batsmen could stay the course in the same way that Calum MacLeod had done earlier in the day for Scotland. His 140 off 94 balls was a brilliantly paced one-day innings full of nimble footwork and precision, power hitting that would have graced any occasion. Even Jonny Bairstow’s third consecutive ODI hundred could not eclipse MacLeod’s performance that will be toasted by every associate player feeling bitter at the ICC’s myopic decision to rub them out of the World Cup.<doc-sep>Last updated on .From the section Cricket Captain Kyle Coetzer will lead Scotland against England on Sunday One-day international: Scotland v England Venue: The Grange, Edinburgh Date: Sunday, 10 June Time: 11:00 BST Coverage: Ball-by-ball Test Match Special commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra & BBC Radio 4 LW; live text commentary on the BBC Sport website Captain Kyle Coetzer believes Scotland will play the strongest side they have ever faced when England travel to Edinburgh this weekend. Scotland will look to beat England for the first time in an official international on Sunday at The Grange. "It's going to be an unreal occasion for our guys and everyone who's involved," Coetzer told BBC Radio Scotland. "It is something that doesn't come around very often." Coetzer said it was "fair comment" to suggest England, who currently top the ODI world rankings, are the strongest side the Scots have come up against. "They are turning into a sensational, really dangerous outfit," Coetzer said. "They've got some quality cricketers and they've got some good cricketers in the wings so they've put together a real strong team to come up to Scotland. We're expecting a high quality and a highly contested game. "Any game, whether it be football, rugby or cricket or any other sport, an occasion against England is going to be a pretty special day. Our guys are ready and raring to go. Obviously, there'll be a great atmosphere in the ground because it's fully sold-out." Scotland beat Zimbabwe at the Grange almost exactly a year ago Scotland recorded their first ODI win over a Test nation when they beat Zimbabwe a year ago and drew with the same opponents in March's World Cup Qualifier, only to be denied a place at next year's World Cup after an agonising rain-affected defeat by West Indies in their final game. The Scots also beat Afghanistan at the Qualifier, while there was a win against Sri Lanka in a match not classified as an official ODI, three weeks prior to the success against Zimbabwe in Edinburgh. "The guys have played some excellent cricket over the last couple of years," added Coetzer. "We've really shown what we can do, especially coming off the back off of Zimbabwe. The guys are in a good place and we're looking forward to it."<doc-sep>None of the 4,000 or so supporters who crammed into the Grange in Edinburgh or climbed trees outside its walls to glimpse a view will ever forget the day that Scotland sent England, the world’s No1 ODI team, homeward tae think again. In years to come the number who claim to have been present when Kyle Coetzer’s side inflicted a thrilling six-run defeat on the Auld Enemy will doubtless swell too – perhaps to that which watched the Rolling Stones at Murrayfield the night before – such was the magnitude of this win for an associate nation with dreams of one day joining the top table. They will speak of Calum MacLeod’s astonishing 140 from 94 balls that powered a record total of 371 for five and they will reminisce about a tigerish display in the field that led to England being somehow bowled out for 365 in 48.5 overs on a flat one. Put simply: they will remember the greatest day in Scottish cricket’s history. Few could deny them their moment in the sun. This is the team who have been left most aggrieved by the International Cricket Council’s decision to chop next summer’s World Cup to 10 teams and, in humbling their neighbours here, they have offered the perfect response. Coetzer spoke before the game of needing one or two players to come off to have a chance of beating the English but, though MacLeod will hog the headlines and the spinner Mark Watt picked up three for 55, this was a team performance right through to the thrilling end when Safyaan Sharif trapped the No11, Mark Wood, in front. For England it will perhaps provide a wake-up call before their series with Australia that begins on Wednesday – and not least for a bowling attack who, when faced with a flat pitch and without Ben Stokes offering an extra option, were unable to contain their opponents. There will be less fretting about the batting, despite the collapse that followed. Indeed Jonny Bairstow appeared to have calmed the situation down early in the chase, unleashing an assault of 12 fours and six sixes on the Scottish bowlers to become the first England batsman to record three one-day centuries in a row and needing only 54 balls to do so. And though Jason Roy had already departed for 34, and Bairstow became the second man to fall when slogging the medium pace of Richie Berrington to long-off on 105, at 220 for two in the 27th over they had looked set to finish an albeit sizeable task with minimal fuss. What followed was something that Alex Hales, in particular, will rue. That the right-hander was culpable for the ill-judged single that led to Joe Root being run out for 29 was bad enough – a professional lip-reader was not required for the Test captain’s verdict – but to follow it up by chopping the very next ball, a long hop from Berrington, to point on 52 was appalling. With two fresh batsmen at the crease, Scotland suddenly believed. And sure enough this surge of energy paid off as Morgan, Sam Billings and David Willey all fell in quick succession – Alasdair Evans claiming two – to see the visitors in a full-blown crisis at 276 for seven in the 37th over. Moeen Ali and Liam Plunkett appeared to have applied the balm, compiling 71 from nine overs, only for the former to pick out long-on on 46 when attempting a fourth six, before Adil Rashid’s run out and the demise of Wood prompted a joyous pitch invasion. It was clear from the moment they bellowed out Flower of Scotland at the anthems that Coetzer’s men were up for this, with the captain and Matthew Cross then setting the template with an opening stand of 103 from 13.4 overs that was not high-risk but rather calculated attack, knowing the pitch was true, the outfield fast and the boundaries short. No Stokes meant Morgan had only five frontline bowlers and, with minimal swing and a review burned early, the signs were ominous. And though the departure of the openers could have sent shockwaves through the old pavilion – Coetzer feathering Rashid behind for 58 and Cross giving Billings a second catch off Plunkett for 48 – instead MacLeod and Berrington rebuilt handsomely. The latter profited from the one English blooper in the field on two, when Root grassed a low chance at slip off Rashid, but soon recovered to pump the bowler back over his head for six and then ably supported MacLeod, who used the formula that enabled him to take apart Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan in March by sweeping the spinners to distraction – not least when his first slogged six brought up a fine half-century from 36 balls. MacLeod’s main support came through George Munsey who, after Berrington was caught at mid-off on 39 to break a stand of 93 runs, proved particularly adept at the reverse sweep en route to a 49-ball half-century. The left-hander top-edging of the shot’s orthodox equivalent to short fine-leg on 55 may have handed Rashid a second victim but by this stage Scotland were 307 for four in the 44th over and targeting a monster total. MacLeod made it so. The scampered two that brought up three figures may have been understated but the Glaswegian’s celebration and the ensuing assault that took Scotland to the highest score by an associate nation was anything but, using his crease superbly to flay the “death” bowlers to all parts before walking off to a standing ovation from all in the ground. Among them, commentating for Test Match Special, was James Anderson. As well as confirming he will miss the next six weeks of cricket as he manages a chronic shoulder problem before the India Test series, the 35-year-old described England’s attack as “one-dimensional” on a flat pitch. Indeed.<doc-sep>
THE SCOTTISH STATEMENT Scotland prevail in high-scoring thriller; register maiden win over England by Cricbuzz Staff • Last updated on Calum MacLeod starred with an unbeaten 140 © Getty A World Cup with lesser teams to ensure quality cricket throughout the tournament? Not many games will have more quality and excitement than the one the Scottish nationals witnessed at Edinburgh on Sunday (June 10). It was supposed to be a one-off game focused more on bringing England to ODI mode ahead of the five-match series against Australia but it ended up with Scotland sending across a major statement to the International Cricket Council, 12 months before the World Cup. Calum MacLeod's heroic efforts were all set to go in vain despite it helping Scotland post their highest ever total in ODI cricket. Jonny Bairstow came up with his own majestic quickfire ton that almost crushed the Scottish dreams but in the end, the bowlers staged a commendable comeback to pick up a nervy six-run win. A target of 372 appeared to be a piece of cake for the visitors once their openers added 107 runs in the powerplay. In a reversal of roles, it was Bairstow who went on a rampage to pick boundaries at will during the field restrictions with Jason Roy taking a backseat. Bairstow was severe in the ninth over bowled by Michael Leask, in which he hammered three sixes and a four. Three more boundaries followed in the final over of the powerplay that took him to 75 off just 35 deliveries. The assault continued until Mark Watt took a catch off his own bowling to send Roy back to the pavilion but by that time, more than one-third of the target was reached in just 13 overs. Bairstow departed soon after reaching a 54-ball ton but the man he displaced at the top of the order continued to keep the momentum going. Alex Hales batted like a man who had a point to prove as he took on Chris Sole in the 17th over to get going. By the time Joe Root was run out at the end of the 27th over, England had the game firmly in the bag needing another 152 off 138 deliveries with seven wickets in hand. But that's when the turnaround slowly began with Morgan and Hales getting dismissed off successive deliveries. Sam Billings, who received a rare opportunity in the absence of some big names, failed to grasp his chance as he chipped a full toss to the man at short midwicket. The writing was on the wall for England when David Willey was dismissed three balls later but their long batting order came to the fore when it mattered the most. Moeen Ali forged a vital partnership with Liam Plunkett to pull England back into the contest. With the chase delicately poised at the end of the 44th over, Moeen swung it completely towards England's favour when he smashed Richard Berrington for a four and a couple of sixes. But the pendulum swung yet again with Moeen departing in the following over leaving Plunkett to finish the chase. The veteran's decision to take a single in the penultimate over proved to be costly as Safyaan Sharif came up with a yorker to trap Mark Wood lbw to spark off wild celebrations. It was their first win over England, the side that's currently leading the ODI charts in the ICC rankings. Clinching a 736-run thriller against the top-ranked team after narrowly missing out on a World Cup spot was the perfect response possible to the governing body's decision to have a ten-team mega event next year. Earlier in the day, the Scotland batsmen enjoyed a fruitful outing in the middle after Eoin Morgan opted to bowl first. The openers Kyle Coetzer and Matthew Cross set up an ideal platform for the hosts with a century partnership in quick time. They took 70 runs off the powerplay and continued to build on the momentum before Adil Rashid inflicted the first blow by getting rid of Coetzer. Liam Plunkett then followed it up with Cross's wicket in the following over to help England fight back but the hosts regained control in a matter of few overs. MacLeod first added 93 runs with Richie Berrington and then joined forces with Georgey Munsey to pile on more misery.