Scotland have two scintillating Calum MacLeod centuries to thank for their place in the 2015 World Cup. After a narrow defeat to Hong Kong in their first qualification match, the Durham man blasted 113 off just 62 balls in a rain-reduced 28-over game against the UAE, and followed it up with a colossal 175 off 141 against Canada. The latter innings deprived Canada of ODI status until at least 2018, but paved the way for a remarkable run of form for Scotland.
They dispensed with Namibia, Papua New Guinea and Kenya in quick succession (ending Kenya’s and Namibia’s hopes of retaining ODI status in the process), before also defeating UAE in the final once their World Cup place was secure. The win earned them a spot in Group A, the same group as the Auld Enemy, England.
Scotland have appeared in two previous cups, 1999 and 2007, without winning a match. In 1999, they should have beaten Bangladesh after reducing Aminul Islam’s men to 26-5, but they couldn’t keep up the pressure and allowed Bangladesh to escape. Despite a battling half-century from Gavin Hamilton, they fell agonisingly short of their 186 target.
Of the 2007 World Cup squad, only off-spinner Majid Haq features in the 2015 touring party. Their batting line-up features plenty of names that will be familiar to county cricket fans: vice-captain Kyle Coetzer plays for Northamptonshire, and Matt Machan has made a promising start to his career with Sussex. Calum MacLeod is yet to repeat his international exploits with Durham, and has struggled for form lately, but he clearly has the potential to make an impact in big matches.
Other batsmen in the Scotland squad include Richie Berrington, who has Twenty20I and ODI centuries to his name. The bowling attack of Ian Wardlaw, Josh Davey and Alasdair Evans may lack out-and-out pace, but they all have county experience and could be tough to attack on New Zealand pitches.
In the tri-series with Ireland and Afghanistan, Scotland’s seamers offered a glimpse of their capabilities. Defending a below-par score of 213, Davey and Wardlaw ripped Afghanistan apart with six and four wickets respectively. Although Scotland are ranked lower than Afghanistan, it was a consummate performance that show even the Test nations need to watch out for Scotland down under.
When Scotland toured New Zealand last autumn, they faced a full-strength host side that was farcically called an “XI” to avoid lending the match ODI status. Scotland had their hosts at 132-6 at one point, before a late-order recovery enabled “New Zealand XI” to post 263. In spite of fine fifties from Hamish Gardiner, Matt Machan and Freddie Coleman, Scotland were denied the win by a last-ball run-out. It was an enthralling match that showed the divide between the top professionals and the much-maligned associates is nowhere near as great as some people imagine.
If there is a gap in quality between the full member nations and the associates, one need look no further than the fixture list for an explanation. While Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and the West Indies are guaranteed cricket against top sides every year, the likes of Scotland and Ireland’s only certain fixture is a bi-annual match-up with England. In 2014, Scotland were even manoeuvred out of the English domestic set-up thanks to a re-organisation of the List A competition.
When England last hosted the Cricket World Cup in 1999, some of the matches were held in Ireland, Scotland and Holland. In 2019, that will not be the case, and thanks to the ICC’s plan to reduce the World Cup to ten teams, the chances of any of the European associates even appearing at the competition are slim. If cricket is to grow as a sport (and any sport played by only ten nations should have expansion at the top of its priorities), teams like Scotland should be given every opportunity to nurture their talent, grow their player-base and advance in international cricket as their performances dictate.
In terms of their chances at the forthcoming World Cup, Scotland will look at Afghanistan and Bangladesh as their best chances of breaking their duck at cricket’s most important tournament. However, the England game represents an enormous opportunity to prove that Scotland is a serious cricketing nation. Kevin O’Brien’s heroic century (and I don’t use the word “heroic” as an off-hand cliché, I really do mean heroic) at the 2011 World Cup humiliated the ICC into a U-turn over their initial plan to kick associates out of the World Cup.
Once again, the ICC are threatening the existence of marginalised cricketing nations. None of the full members are fighting Scotland’s corner for them at the top table of the ICC; it is up to Scotland to fight for themselves on the pitch.
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