London, Aug 12, 2022, IANS

London, Aug 12 (IANS) Scotland have claimed the European qualifying spot for the ICC Under-19 Women's T20 World Cup after their series victory over the Netherlands.

After victory in the first of three matches, Katherine Fraser's side secured the spot for South Africa when they clinched a nine-wicket win in Match 2 to move to an unassailable 2-0 lead. Scotland then went on to win the third match by 123 runs, headlined by centuries made by openers Ailsa Lister and Darcey Carter, according to ICC.

Eight Scottish bowlers picked up wickets across the three matches, with Robyn van Oosterom (39 and 43 in Matches 2 and 3) the only Dutch player to show resistance with the bat.

Scotland were immaculate as a group, holding Netherlands to scores of 78, 94/7 and 100/7 across the three fixtures. Rotating her bowlers with aplomb, Fraser, already with 24 senior T20Is under her belt, chimed in with wickets of her own opening the bowling.

Scotland join the USA, UAE and Indonesia as Associate qualifiers for the event, with the latter booking tickets to their first World Cup of any type after beating Papua New Guinea in a three-match series.

The final spot for next year's tournament will be decided in the African Qualifier in Botswana in September. The hosts welcome Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Uganda.

South Africa will host the inaugural ICC Under-19 Women's T20 World Cup in January next year.