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Scotland : Team Analysis
January 13th, 2014 was a gloomy day for Scotland cricket. They lost their opening match in the World Cup qualifiers, to a very average Hong Kong side. Even though they lost, there was a positive that emerged out of that match. Preston Mommsen scored a fluent century and he was there at the crease with last man Iain Wardlaw when they needed 18 to win off 9 balls. Mommsen was dismissed next ball, to the disappointment of a country who were hoping for a cricketing revival.
They won the next match against Nepal but the happiness in the dressing room was short-lived as their captain Kyle Coetzer, who suffered a wrist injury, had to return home.
The in-form Mommsen was asked to stand-in for the injured Coetzer. Mommsen responded in a grand way and Scotland looked a completely different team under his leadership. They went on to win four more matches on the trot before beating UAE in the final.
Quite a comeback that was, considering the early hiccup against Hong Kong.
Mommsen scored a whopping 520 runs in the tournament and after that there was little doubt regarding who would lead the team in the
World Cup.
The last year has been good for Scottish cricket. They won a tight (and crucial) match against Kenya in the qualifiers. It showed that they are capable of handling pressure and can win at the crunch moments. Then in January 2015, they dismissed Afghanistan for 63 in Abu Dhabi; a performance that would boost their confidence immensely before they face the heavyweights.
Kyle Coetzer has made a comeback and will provide the much needed experience of playing against the Test playing nations.
Calum McLeod can be extremely dangerous at the top of the batting order. He is a bit like Paul Stirling of Ireland and one shouldn’t be surprised if he produces some blazing starts in the World Cup.
A change in the eligibility rules meant that Matt Machan was eligible to play for the Scots in 2012 and, since then, he has been a great addition to the batting unit of the team. Machan can pace the innings really well and more importantly, has a cool head on his shoulders.
The pace bowling department is even more promising. Iain Wardlaw will lead the attack comprising of the likes of Rob Taylor, Shafyaan Sharif and Josh Davey. Rob Taylor is a very handy lower-middle order batsman too and his exploits against Kenya in the aforementioned match has made him a hero in Scotland.
Any discussion regarding Scotland cricket should include the tireless Majid Haq and we won’t dare becoming an exception in this regard. If we leave out the Test playing nations, Majid is among the best spinners in the game.
The Scots have nothing to lose and everything to gain. As Mommsen said a few weeks earlier, they had their career on the line in that qualifying tournament and despite the immense pressure, they came through with flying colours.
It would be only fair to expect them playing some good cricket in the coming month and a half.
Squad : Preston Mommsen (captain), Kyle Coetzer (vice-captain), Richie Berrington, Freddie Coleman, Matthew Cross (wk), Josh Davey, Alasdair Evans, Hamish Gardiner, Majid Haq, Michael Leask, Matt Machan, Calum MacLeod, Safyaan Sharif, Rob Taylor, Iain Wardlaw
Batting and bowling potential charts indicate the percentage contribution of each player in the team.
Key Batsmen : Kyle Coetzer, Matt Machan, Calum MacLeod
Key Bowlers : Josh Davey, Iain Wardlaw, Majid Haq
Big Hitters : Michael Leask, Kyle Coetzer, Hamish Gardiner
Most Experienced Player : Majid Haq
Darkhorse : Michael Leask
Team Average Age : 26 years
Oldest Player : Majid Haq (31 years)
Youngest Player : Matthew Cross (22 years)
Scotland will be playing two warm-up games against Ireland and West Indies at Sydney on 10th Feb and 12th Feb respectively.
Fixtures for Scotland in World Cup 2015 :
| Date & Time |
Match Details |
Coverage |
| |
Tue Feb 17
22:00 GMT (prev day)
11:00 local | 03:30 IST |
6th Match, Pool A - New Zealand v Scotland
University Oval, Dunedin |
  |
| |
Mon Feb 23
22:00 GMT (prev day)
11:00 local | 03:30 IST |
14th Match, Pool A - England v Scotland
Hagley Oval, Christchurch |
|
| |
Thu Feb 26
22:00 GMT (prev day)
11:00 local | 03:30 IST |
17th Match, Pool A - Afghanistan v Scotland
University Oval, Dunedin |
|
| |
Thu Mar 5
22:00 GMT (prev day)
11:00 local | 03:30 IST |
27th Match, Pool A - Bangladesh v Scotland
Saxton Oval, Nelson |
|
| |
Wed Mar 11 (D/N)
03:30 GMT | 14:30 local
09:00 IST |
35th Match, Pool A - Scotland v Sri Lanka
Bellerive Oval, Hobart |
|
| |
Sat Mar 14 (D/N)
03:30 GMT | 14:30 local
09:00 IST |
40th Match, Pool A - Australia v Scotland
Bellerive Oval, Hobart |
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