Scotland avenged their two ten-wicket defeats by Kenya in Nairobi last week with a victory at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, which was a good deal more decisive than the 16-run margin suggested.

After Kenya won the toss and invited the Scots to bat the opening combination of the Odhiambos, Nehemiah and Nelson, began in a lively fashion to Kyle Coetzer and Navdeep Poonia, and it was Nehemiah who achieved the first breakthrough when he induced Coetzer to edge to keeper Maurice Ouma with the total on 14.

This brought Gavin Hamilton to the crease to join Poonia, and these two proceeded to add 54 for the second wicket in 9.4 overs before Poonia, who had made a steady 24, smacked a Steve Tikolo delivery straight to David Obuya at deep midwicket. Hamilton, who had been the more aggressive of the two, now moved up a gear, as he and Fraser Watts added another 47 from 33 balls.

But then, having made 58 from 51 deliveries, Hamilton was bowled trying to swing Jimmy Kamande away square on the leg side, and his dismissal was the trigger for a dramatic collapse. Kamande removed Ryan Watson, attempting a reverse sweep, two balls later, and when Nehemiah Odhiambo bowled Watts with the first delivery of the following over Scotland had lost three wickets in four balls for the addition of just one run.

With Hamilton still at the crease a total of 160 had seemed on the cards, but with Kenya now looking to maintain the pressure a considerably lower score became more probable. The Scots were rescued by some fine aggression from Richie Berrington and Jan Stander, Berrington smashing 16 from one Nehemiah Odhiambo over, and Scotland eventually reached 149 for six.

David Obuya and Steven Tikolo picked up where they had left off in Nairobi, taking on Gordon Drummond, Dewald Nel and Jan Stander, and racing along at better than 10 an over until Majid Haq came into the attack and promptly had Tikolo caught behind after he had made a 16-ball 25.

Alex Obanda also forced the pace, but once he was out the Kenyan innings ran into trouble as the middle order’s lack of recent time in the middle became all too evident. Ouma and Rakep Patel did not stay long, both falling to Berrington, and when David Obuya became the latter’s third victim at a cost of just 17 runs, Kenya were on the ropes at 92 for five.

Scotland were now able to apply the squeeze, cutting out the boundaries and maintaining the pressure effectively. Where the Kenyans’ fielding had been poor at times, the Scots held their catches and kept runs to a minimum, and with Haq bowling particularly well Kenya fell steadily further behind the rate.

Haq removed Kamande and Nehemiah Odhiambo to finish with three for 23, Nel picked up Shem Obado, and with Coetzer adding Collins Obuya to his earlier dismissal of Obanda, the innings closed on 133 for nine.

This win will have done nothing but good to Scotland’s morale as they prepare to face the USA at the same venue on Tuesday, while Kenya, who also return to Abu Dhabi to take on the UAE, will reflect on the vagaries of the Twenty20 game.