Ireland's inadequacies and inexperience were again exposed, with cruel efficiency by an almost full-strength Scotland side who condemned Ireland to their second successive ODI defeat at Mannofield.

It wasn’t on the scale of New Zealand’s hammering on Tuesday but a five wickets defeat, losing three of them within 13 runs of victory, was still emphatic. Set 211, after Ireland had won the toss - Kyle McCallan was never going to bowl first after the previous day’s humiliation - the Scots eased home with 15 balls to spare.

It needed 40 from the last four overs just to get Ireland up to 210 for eight in their 50 overs - all but 13 of them scored by the skipper - but the chronic lack of depth in bowling was always going to find it difficult to penetrate the Scots’ powerful batting line-up.

Sure enough Gavin Hamilton, who played Test cricket for England in 1999, was almost the immovable object, out in the last over for 115 - the third individual century Ireland have conceded in two days - and with 59 from wicket-keeper Colin Smith, Scotland did as they pleased although, mysteriously, Reinhard Strydom after waiting 13 matches to get his first spell for Ireland - was not asked to bowl a ball.

Gary Wilson will insist that he had Smith stumped when he had only two runs to his name but umpire Paul Baldwin did not agree, and match referee Javigal Srinath might not agree the wicket-keeper’s reaction was acceptable.

The bowlers could not be faulted for their efforts but on a true surface and with a run-rate of barely four an over, it was a straightforward task for batsmen who could wait for the bad ball, hit through the ‘V’ and not have to take any risks.

From the 19th to the 32nd overs, Scotland scored 28 singles and three fours - nothing else - but with wickets in hand there was no need to panic.

The Ireland batting could not have been worse than Tuesday - it wasn’t - but it still flattered to deceive. Ryan Haire, in only his second match after eight years in the international wilderness, played the most attractive innings and hit the only six of the day - 17 fewer than three New Zealanders hit.

The North Down batsman took a particular liking to Richie Berrington, making his ODI debut, and he whipped him, on one leg, to the long leg boundary, followed it up with a flashing drive through extra cover and next ball brought up his 50 with his seventh four, from 55 balls.

He was dropped two overs later at deep square leg and finally caught at backward point, by Berrington, but it was an innings which will give him confidence going into next week’s I-C Cup game in Rotterdam.

Haire shared a partnership of 75 with former school-mate Andrew White who fell to a stunning one-handed catch on the mid-wicket boundary by Hamilton but only Gary Wilson, proving a success at the top of the order, and McCallan with a run a ball 39 at the end held up the Scots for whom Deweld Nel finished with four for 25 from nine overs.

Andre Botha, for a single, was Nel’s most important scalp, one of four catches for Smith, but a tired Paul Stirling and Andrew Poynter, thrown into their first ODIs, were found wanting.

Thinus Fourie, replacing the injured Phil Eaglestone, finished 19 not out but that was a bonus and it is his bowling (one for 33 from six) which is still not up to this level, but the same could be said for the majority of the Ireland bowling attack at the moment.