Leask then saw his team cross the finish line to claim a four-wicket victory with a stylish 51 not gone with the bat, sealing the victory with his third six of innings.

Captain Kyle Coetzer had set Shane Burger’s men on the right track with a shot of 81, but with the game appearing to be moving away from them, it took a round made up of Leask, in partnership with Mark Watt, to deny to PNG its first win in the World Cricket League. .

“It was an amazing all-around show from Michael, a coming-of-age shot, and we’re incredibly proud of him, helped by Kyle who really anchored the sleeves,” said Burger. “We are incredibly happy and now have a few days off before the Oman game on Saturday.”

A modest Leask added: “I knew if we brought it to the last end (of the innings) it’s a quick goal pitch and we could cross the line. I’m lucky it’s my day today.

Papua New Guinea may currently be at the bottom of the table, but have proven once again that they are no slouch with the bat.

Winning the toss, a first run-out saw Kiplin Doriga go without scoring, but there were some decent shots right after that, with captain Assad Vala putting in 30 and Norman Vanua adding a very useful 57 out of just 52 balls.

Chad Soper, beating at No.9, finished with 39 points as PNG recovered from 133/7 to finish on 226 as Scotland didn’t take care of the tail, putting extra pressure on their hitters to make big scores.

They got off to a nightmarish start in their line with Matthew Cross going without a scoring, bringing Calum MacLeod into the crease in his 200th appearance in Scotland.

He went for 28 – played by Soper – before Richie Berrington ran out of 9 as the Scots scrambled to create any kind of momentum.

Coetzer was still going strong, but when he was out for a formidable 81 of 103 balls he left Scotland with four goals and still far from the required run rate.

George Munsey then came out for 14, brilliantly caught by Kabua Morea on his own bowling alley, and the Scots were in real danger of seeing the game drift away from them.

Forced to try to chase after things, opportunities for exhaustion arose almost everywhere as the Saltiers survived each time by the skin of their teeth.

Dylan Budge was then taken out for 19, furious at the decision to receive LBW, but Leask and Watt saw Scotland over the line with smart shots and runs.

They play their last game of this series against Oman on Saturday before heading to Dubai to start their warm-up for the T20 World Cup.