Scotland genuinely believes they can go one further in the three-match ODI series in Edinburgh after pushing Australia hard at the T20 World Cup earlier this year, where a win would have eliminated England.
Australia needed 87 off 39 deliveries after Brandon McMullen scored 60 off 34 balls, and there was a real prospect of an upset when Marcus Stoinis took the game away from them. When the game was called off against England, they were down 90 for 0, and there was a painful difference between making it to the Super Eight and losing.
With three home games in four days against an Australia team that includes some less experienced players, Scotland has an opportunity to win their first ever match against them, and they’re not just looking for a single triumph.
Mark Watt, a left-arm spinner, stated on the Cricket Scotland website, “I think we’re after a little bit of blood this week, and not just win a game but win the series”.
We all agree that we should have won that match and continued in the World Cup, so we can certainly draw encouragement from it, but we also have a small point to make.
Although we can pretend that we were near, we secretly harbor disappointment at our defeat.”
The roster for this series includes all 15 players that competed in the T20 World Cup; however, speed bowler Charlie Cassell, who made his ODI debut with the greatest figures ever (7 for 21 against Oman), will be a fresh face for the Australians.
“It’s an amazing chance for them to play alongside elite players,” Scotland head coach Doug Watson stated upon the squad’s announcement.
“They want to compete, put on some incredible shows, and really challenge this Australian team. Our objective is to prevail in this series. The first game is crucial since a victory will set up the next two games.”
Scotland has benefited from Ireland’s inability to host Australia as planned because of budgetary limitations. When Australia and Pakistan last faced off bilaterally in 2013, Aaron Finch and Shaun Marsh put up a 246-run first-wicket stand. Richie Berrington, the current captain, played for Scotland.
Scotland’s historic day in 2018 came when they defeated England by six runs in Edinburgh, but they are in desperate need of more chances to play the world’s best teams outside of international competitions.
Michael Leask told BBC Scotland, “It is frustrating that we don’t get the opportunities to play the big boys, so to speak.”
“We don’t get the chance to play against teams like West Indies and Bangladesh. We would seize whatever chance we could get since our performance improves with increased exposure to top-notch cricket.
“We know it’s not always possible, but we would love for them to play for us more frequently. We are eager to play the big boys in whatever match we can, but their schedule is packed. This is our chance. If the higher associates were given greater visibility, that would be great. We frequently punch above our weight, and the caliber of our crew is the reason behind this.””We know it’s not always possible, but we would love for them to play for us more frequently. We are eager to play the big boys in whatever match we can, but their schedule is packed. This is our chance. If the higher associates were given greater visibility, that would be great.
