Oman kept themselves in contention after beating UAE by five wickets while Ireland found themselves on brink of elimination after slumping to yet another defeat, this time against Scotland by one wicket, in the ICC World Cup qualifiers in Bulawayo on Wednesday.
Michael Leask held his nerve with an unbeaten 91 to complete an unlikely comeback for Scotland as they chased down a target of 287 off the last ball with a wicket in hand.
Leask hit two off the final ball as Scotland stunned Ireland with a one-wicket victory at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.
Curtis Campher looked like he would be the hero of the day, coming to the crease with Ireland reeling at 33 for four before rattling off a vital century to help the team post a total of 286 for eight.
That looked like plenty when Scotland slumped to 152 for seven in reply, before Leask turned the tide.
Oman make it two in two
Two days on from the momentous chase against Ireland, Oman did it again in Bulawayo, easing to a five-wicket win against the UAE.
A fine effort with the ball, after electing to field first, put Oman in a strong position as they restricted the UAE to 227 for eight from their 50 overs.
A trio of half-centuries, including a second in a row from Ilyas, were then enough to see Oman home with four overs to spare despite a shaky start.
Off-spinner Jay Odedra (3/31) was the star of the show with the ball, bowling Ramez Shahzad (38) and Vriitya Aravind (49) in quick succession after their 87-run stand for the third wicket.
He added the wicket of Ali Naseer to bring Aayan Afzal Khan to the wicket, with the 17-year-old giving his side a chance with a crucial knock.
Aayan hit 10 fours on his way to an unbeaten 58 from just 52 deliveries, adding 40 with Karthik Meiyappan and 33 with Zahoor Khan.
Needing 228 to win, Oman lost both openers to Junaid Siddique (2/31). Kashyap Prajapati was the first to go with Jatinder Singh (2) soon following.
That brought Aqib and Shoaib Khan together, the pair adding exactly 100 before Rohan Mustafa got through the defences of Aqib on 53.
Shoaib then left the field with cramps, before Zeeshan Maqsood was LBW to Rohan for one as the chase started to falter.
However, a 76-run stand between Mohammad Nadeem (50 not out) and Ayaan Khan (41) steadied the ship before Shoaib returned to see the team home and bring up his half-century, finishing on 52 not out.
Brief Scores:
Ireland 286/8 in 50 overs (Curtis Campher 120, George Dockrell 69; Brandon McMullen 5/34, Christopher McBride 1/24)
Scotland 289/9 in 50 overs (Michael Leask 91 not out, Chris McBride 56; Mark Adair 3/57, George Dockrell 2/34).
Scotland won by 1 wicket.
UAE 227/8 in 50 overs (Aayan Afzal Khan 58 not out, Vritya Aravind 49; Jay Odedra 3/31, Bilal Khan 2/46)
Oman 228/5 in 46 overs (Aqib Ilyas 53, Shoaib Khan 52 not out, Mohammad Nadeem 50 not out; Junaid Siddique 2/31, Rohan Mustafa 2/31).
Oman won by 5 wickets.
