Ailsa Lister's 42 off 41 balls was followed up by a trio of three-wicket hauls from Katherine Fraser, Orla Montgomery and Maisie Maceira as Scotland Women's U19 side kept USA pinned down in a 45-run defeat at St Stithian's College. 

Photo credit: Peter Della Penna

By Peter Della Penna in Johannesburg (Twitter @PeterDellaPenna)
 
A six on the first ball of play by Scotland opener Ailsa Lister set the tone for a menacing display that followed as the Celtic side totaled four sixes and nine fours in all in their total of 135 for 6, which wound up being more than enough to defend as the USA Women’s U19 side were bowled out for 90 in reply in a 45-run defeat in an ICC U19 World Cup warm-up match on Monday at St. Stithians College. USA managed just two fours in their innings and never threatened to chase down the total after scratching their way to 14 for 3 in the six-over Powerplay to begin their reply. USA fell to 30 for 6 by the halfway stage before Isani Vaghela brought respectability to the scorecard with 40 off 42 balls until she was runout off the final ball of play.
 
“This morning we came and there was an attitude of not showing that intent of wanting to go out there and do well,” USA Women’s U19 head coach Shivnarine Chanderpaul said after the loss. “We took it into the match. So the attitude needs to change. I don’t know if because some people think they are maybe secure in the team and they are comfortable because selectors will pick them, doesn’t matter what they do. I mean these are things can happen with players. Some of the players they get comfortable and they do whatever they want to do, and some of the players who are good enough and who have put in the work are not here.”
 

The Scotland opening pair of Lister and Darcey Carter added 83 for the first wicket across 10.2 overs as USA looked listless at times in the field, missing four chances in this stretch among seven missed chances overall in the innings. Lister was dropped on 8, 28 and 41 while Carter survived misses on 25 and 36 before she finally was dismissed for 40 off 27 balls, caught at deep midwicket by Aditi Chudasama off the bowling of Bhumika Bhadriraju in the 11^th. 
 
Lister finally retired out for 42 off 41 balls at the end of the 14^th over with the score 97 for 2 and it was only then that Scotland’s run rate began to slow down. Scotland Women’s U19 captain Katherine Fraser became the third wicket to fall in the 17^th. One ball after she was dropped at deep square leg, she walked across her stumps and was bowled behind her legs for 19 off 24 balls to give Bhadriraju a second wicket. 
 
Molly Paton was bowled for 1 to end the 18^th, heaving across the line to Geetika Kodali to make it 123 for 4. Vaghela was then on a hat-trick in the 19^th after dismissing Emma Walsingham and Maryam Faisal on consecutive deliveries. One ball after clobbering a six over the leg side, Walsingham tried to repeat the shot and skied a top edge to wicketkeeper Anika Kolan for 18 off 14 balls. Faisal also top-edged a pull next ball after coming to the middle and Vaghela settled under the chance for a return catch to make it 130 for 6. 
 
Bhadriraju ended with 2 for 25 in four overs despite having two chances put down off her bowling while Vaghela claimed 2 for 20 in three overs to end with USA’s best figures on the day. Kodali took 1 for 7 in four overs and also had a chance put down off her bowling while legspinner Sai Eyyunni suffered most from USA’s poor fielding display, having two chances put down before ending with figures of 0 for 22 in two overs. 
 
USA’s batting struggles were evident in particular against Scotland’s spinners, though they fared little better against the pace options either. Olivia Bell took the new ball to bowl offspin and conceded just three runs in her two Powerplay overs before captain Fraser replaced her for the fifth for more offspin, striking twice in a double-wicket maiden. Ritu Singh fell first, playing back and across the line to a good length ball to be lbw for 3 off 13 balls. Disha Dhingra was then bowled defending down the wrong line for a second-ball duck to make it 9 for 2 after five. 
 
Kolan was given out lbw on her first ball in the following over, shuffling too far across her stumps before missing a leg side flick against medium pacer Orla Montgomery to make it 14 for 3. Opener Laasya Mullapudi fell in the seventh for the first of medium pacer Maisie Maceira’s three wickets, bowled behind her legs for 7 off 19 balls after shuffling across and missing a pull shot to make it 16 for 4. 
 
USA finally struck their first boundary in the ninth over off the bat of Snigdha Paul, though it came through some good fortune as a pull shot was spilled at deep square leg before trickling into the rope. Paul was out three balls later in the 10^th for 7 off 10 balls, dragging on an attempted cut shot against Maceira. Kodali was bowled for a second-ball duck later in the over missing a drive to a full length delivery to make it 30 for 6 after 10. 
 
Chudasama entered at No. 8 and made 6 off 17 balls before skying a drive to extra cover to give Fraser a third wicket making it 51 for 7 after 15. Pooja Shah then fell for 6 off 9 balls in the 18^th, bowled heaving across the line to Montgomery to make it 67 for 8. A no ball over waist height resulted in a free hit later in the over for Vaghela, who drove over mid-off for USA’s second boundary of the chase in what wound up being a 15-run over.
 
USA’s best partnership of the match ended for 22 runs in the final over when Jivana Aras fell for 3 off 6 balls, top edging a pull off Montgomery to short midwicket to make it 89 for 9. Bhadriraju faced the final ball of the match, chipping one down the ground before Vaghela was runout at the non-striker’s end trying to come back for a second. 
 
Fraser ended with 3 for 7 in three overs of offspin to lead Scotland in the field. Maceira took 3 for 15 in three overs while Montgomery ended with figures of 3 for 25 in her three overs as Scotland’s other wicket-taker. Bell went unrewarded in a tidy spell of offspin finishing with 0 for 9 in three overs. 
 
USA has an off day on Tuesday in Johannesburg before they play their second official tournament warm-up match against the UAE on Wednesday at Steyn City School with a 10 am local start time.