Scotland

Scotland

Scotland's recent record reads as a team caught between flashes of competence and hard losses to stronger sides. They have won three of their last six matches, but the pattern matters more than the raw count.

Against weaker opposition, Scotland have been dominant. They dismantled Italy by 73 runs and twice beat Namibia - once by 19 runs, once by seven wickets with seven balls to spare. Those victories suggest they can impose themselves when the gap in quality is clear.

The problem emerges against established teams. Nepal beat them by seven wickets with four balls left. England won by five wickets with ten balls remaining. And most damaging: Namibia took a four-wicket win off the final delivery, a result that will sting given Scotland had beaten the same opposition twice before.

That last defeat to Namibia is the telling one. It came with no balls left in the match - the tightest possible margin - and suggests Scotland either failed to set a competitive total or lost their way in a chase when it mattered most. The wins over Namibia that sandwiched it offer some redemption, but the sequence shows vulnerability when matches tighten.

Scotland can beat teams below their level with authority. Against peers and above, they have yet to find a way through.