NOR vs PORT

That'll be all from this contest but there's plenty more cricketing action lined up for you. Do stay tuned to Sportskeeda to follow our coverage of it all while keeping yourselves updated with further cricketing news and action from around the world. For the moment though, this is the duo of Mohul Bhowmick and Sooryanarayanan Sesha taking your leave. Thank you so much for joining us as we hope you enjoyed our coverage. Have a great weekend ahead - buh-bye and take care!

Match Summary: Portugal beat Norway by 3 wickets.

Najam Shahzad 16 (6) & 4/6 (2) | Rana Sarwar 2/6 (1)
Javed Khan 31 (18) | Shahbaz Butt 2/10 (2)

A victory that seemed straightforward but in the end, it was one that Portugal had to work really hard for. Their batters made heavy work of what should have been a simple chase but all's well that ends well in the end. And it was set up by a superlative bowling and fielding display that restricted Norway to a mere 70.

The start was a positive one for Portugal even as Kuldeep Gholiya was given the benefit of doubt off the first ball as the ball didn't seem to carry. Azhar Andani tore into the bowlers and seemed keen to wrap this up quickly but once he was run out thanks to a brilliant fielding effort by Javed Khan, things automatically slowed down.

Mind you, Portugal were never behind the eight-ball but Norway certainly stuck their tooth into the contest and ensured they would stretch this as deep as they possibly could. Skipper Najam Shahzad had other ideas though for Portugal as he went about swinging for the fences. It seemed like he would finish this in a heartbeat only for his wicket to slow things down again. It became the pattern of the innings and just when you felt Norway were in with a decent chance of pulling a victory out of nowhere, Syed Maisam and Rana Sarwar held their nerve to vault Portugal past the finish line.

A second win for Portugal and they're placed solidly on the Group F points table as they distance themselves even further from Luxembourg and Scotland XI. A spot in the knockouts is now secure for them, as is for Norway, although they would certainly want to bounce back soon after this defeat.

And that is that! A hard-fought win for Portugal but they've got the job done at last. They've consigned Norway to their first defeat of the ECC 2023 as well.

9.4 Raza Iqbal to Syed Maisam, PORTUGAL FINALLY WIN THIS GAME! After taking this match so deep, Maisam punches a floated delivery outside off down to long off for a single. He seals the deal for his country!

9.1 Raza Iqbal to Rana Sarwar, tossed up outside off, turns away. Sarwar can only punch it back to the bowler. The fielder at mid off aims a direct hit at the non striker's end but misses.

And we're down to the last over. That boundary from Maisam has certainly eased things for Portugal although they've made heavy work of this chase. Portugal require 2 runs to win off the final over!

8.3 Muhammad Sher Sahak to Syed Maisam, FOUR FIRST BALL! Full and wide outside off. Maisam leans in and punches it wide of the fielder at long off for a boundary to get off the mark!

8.2 Muhammad Sher Sahak to Juan Henri, CAUGHT! PORTUGAL ARE SEVEN DOWN! Full and wide outside off, slower delivery. Henri tries to carve it away over cover but does not connect too well. He ends up miscuing it straight to the man at cover for a simple catch!