T20 World Cup 2022: Top 5 catches from previous editions
Kyle Coetzer shocked after reading racism report
Cricket Scotland announces squad for New Zealand white-ball series
Scotland's Kyle Coetzer announces retirement from T20I cricket
The 38-year-old right-handed batter, on Thursday, called time on his T20I career with immediate effect.
Cricket Scotland announces squad for home tri-series, Richie Berrington set to lead
Cricket Scotland will host Namibia and Nepal in a tri-nation series in July. The series will serve as the 14th round of the ongoing 2019-2023 ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 tournament.
Kyle Coetzer steps down as Scotland skipper
He also expressed satisfaction at how his tenure- which started way back in 2013- has fared and is excited to see where the team goes under the new leader.
T20 World Cup | PAK vs SCO: As Pakistan target spotless Super 12, Scots would look to bow out on a high
The Pakistani team which has played phenomenally well in this tournament so far would be looking to go one better and finish the Super 12 stage and march into the semi-final with a win and remain unbeaten in the tournament. They have an easy outlet to achieve that as well as they face Scotland, the only team in the group that has not won any game so far. Scotland and Kyle Coetzer will on the other end look to finish the campaign on a high and nothing could be better than a win. But considering that the game would be played in Sharjah, a win would be a very far fetched result for the Scots. What's at stake? For Pakistan, it is much more about pride, about getting to the semis remaining unbeaten and proving to their opposition, which would most likely be Australia, that they mean business and are not to be taken lightly whatsoever. On the other hand, for Scots, everything is at stake. It’s not about just winning, but also proving to themselves that they can compete at the highest level too. It has been just one game against New Zealand where they were able to showcase their full potential. It would also be a challenge for them to play against spin and no better place than Sharjah to test themselves. They have folded very quickly against the spin of Afghanistan and India and hence showcasing some fight here would mean a lot to them. What needs to change? For Pakistan, they would like Mohammad Hafeez to get back in form before the big match in the semi-final. Also, Hasan Ali is someone that has been wayward throughout the tournament but has remained in the playing XI as the team did not want to change the winning combination. If he could come back to form then the green brigade would be firing all cylinders before the semi-finals. For Scotland, they need to change their approach towards batting and not go all bonkers even when the wickets are falling. Experienced players like Richie Berrington, skipper Kyle Coetzer and George Munsey need to stick together and play the 20 overs with confidence while the late order hitters in Michael Leask and Chris Greaves need to come to the party. Pakistan vs Scotland: Match Details Match Number - 41 Date and Time: November 07, 2021, 07:30 pm IST, 06:00 pm Local, 02:00 pm GMT Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah Broadcast and Livestream: Star Sports and Hotstar Pitch Report The pitch at Sharjah would be shiny in terms of looks like it has been for quite a while now, but it would act as a facade as the wicket would be low and slow as usual and anything above the range of 150 would be hard to chase on that wicket. Weather Forecast The temperature at the stadium will fall from 29-degree Celsius at 06:00 pm to 25-degree Celsius by 10:00 pm and similarly, the humidity will increase from 41% to 53%. A light breeze is expected and there are very limited chances of precipitation as well, which is a very rare phenomenon in Sharjah. But since there would definitely be some dew, any team winning the toss would look to field first even though chasing has been a troublesome task on this wicket. Team News Pakistan The Pakistani team would not be looking to make any change as it has been evident in their last game against Namibia that they want to play with the same xi and keep doing the same stuff before going to the next stage. Probable XI Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Babar Azam (c), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi Scotland The only change that Scotland could afford is bringing back Josh Davey in the XI as the rest of the players are their mainstay anyways. Probable XI George Munsey, Kyle Coetzer (c), Matthew Cross (wk), Richie Berrington, Calum MacLeod, Michael Leask, Chris Greaves, Mark Watt, Alasdair Evans, Safyaan Sharif, Bradley Wheal CE XI Fantasy team Wicketkeepers Mohammad Rizwan Batters George Munsey, Richie Berrington, Babar Azam, Asif Ali All-rounders Michael Leask, Shadab Khan Bowlers Mark Watt, Safyaan Sharif, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi Vice-Captain Shaheen Afridi Captain Babar Azam
T20 World Cup | NZ vs SCO Preview: Kiwis look to fly high against depleted Scotland
New Zealand will have a great opportunity to build on the momentum as they take on a depleted Scotland on Wednesday in Dubai. The Blackcaps are coming into this game on the back of a sensational bowling performance against India. The Kiwis bowling unit was on song and thoroughly dominated a formidable Indian batting order to restrict them to 110/7 in 20 overs. Scotland on the other side, have struggled in the Super 12 stage and have lost both the matches that they have played so far. Moreover, it’s been their batting order that has struggled. In the previous clash against Namibia, the top-order just got dismantled like a pack of cards and it was Ruben Trumpelmann, a left-arm pacer who scalped three in the first over. New Zealand have Trent Boult, a much more experienced lad. While for the Kane Williamson-led side, it would be a chance to continue form, Scotland have an uphill task of getting themselves back on track. Match Details New Zealand vs Scotland, Match 32, Super 12 Group 2 Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai Date & Time: 3rd November at 3:30 PM IST and 2:00 PM Local Time Live Streaming: Star Sports Network and Disney+Hotstar Pitch Report The teams batting second have had the edge at the venue. The seamers will have something on offer from the track and can play a prominent role in dominating the opposition. So, if you win the toss, field first. Trent Boult: A cause of concern for Scotland New Zealand pacer Trent Boult is one bowler who can create some problems for the top order. The Scotland batting unit went haywire after Trumpelmann unleashed that bowling performance in the first over. The horrors of that particular over would still be afresh in Scotland batters’ mind and it would be very important for them to negotiate that. New Zealand’s opening stand The Blackcaps have a chance to fine tune that one issue which they have faced in the first two matches and that is the opening stand. Martin Guptill and Daryl Mitchell have given steady starts to the side but they now need to capitalise on that. The two batsmen put 36 against Pakistan and 24 vs India respectively for the first wicket. The team management would now want them to put some more runs on the board to provide the team with a solid foundation. Kiwis’ strong batting order The New Zealand side has one of the most stable batting unit. While Guptill and Mitchell can provide them with steady starts, Williamson has his work cut out to stay as long as he can at the crease. Apart from him Conway’s ability with the bat is known to everyone. Probable XI New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson (c), Devon Conway (wk), Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult Scotland: George Munsey, Kyle Coetzer (c), Matthew Cross (wk), Richie Berrington, Calum Macleod, Michael Leask, Chris Greaves, Mark Watt, Josh Davey, Safyaan Sharif, Brad Wheal CE Fantasy XI Devon Conway, Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson (VC), George Munsey, Calum Macleod, Richie Berrington, Mitchell Santner, Daryl Mitchell, Trent Boult, Ish Sodhi (C), Mark Watt
T20 World Cup | SCO vs NAM: Entering WC after 18 years, Namibia look to leave a mark
It took a blink of an eye for Scotland to surrender against Afghanistan in their last fixture in the T20 World Cup. The Scotland batting line up was just rattled by the Afghan spinners, Mujeeb and Rashid as the two shared a total of 9 wickets out of the ten. Well, the side can’t really do much about that dismal performance and can only move forward. Captain Kyle Coetzer had also stated that the side needs to keep the faith in the players. “We have a great bunch of players and belief in the side. Belief among the players is key. It's not like we'll be locked up in separate rooms. We'll come together in the hotel. We have to keep moving forward,” Coetzer said post the game against Afghanistan. They will now up against Namibia on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi. Namibia probably emerged as a surprise package during the preliminary round after they defeated Netherlands and Ireland (A team with the Test status) to march in the Super 12s. While they were delighted to make it through to the next phase of the global tournament, the way they clinched victories against the two sides was just impeccable. The Gerhard Erasmus first defeated Netherlands by 6 wickets and then Ireland by 8 wickets respectively to leave an impression that they were up for the bigger challenges. Match Details Match: SCO vs NAM, 21st Match, Super 12 Group 2, ICC Mens T20 World Cup 2021 Date: Wednesday, October 27, 2021 Time: 7:30 PM Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi Telecast: Star Sports Network, Disney+ Hotstar Pitch Report The tracks in Abu Dhabi have generally favoured the team batting second in this tournament. Barring the clash between Sri Lanka and Ireland, the sides chasing a target have been successful so far in the competition. Moreover, the venue isn’t alien to Namibia as they played against Netherlands in Abu Dhabi and clinched a comfortable win in the end. The bowlers might get some aid from the track in the early stage. So, if you win the toss, bowl first. The only way is to move forward for Scotland Scotland suffered a major batting collapse against Afghanistan in the previous game, a performance that would haunt them for some time. But now the only way to overcome that disappointment is by turning the fortunes for themselves. A lot would depend upon opener George Munsey, captain Coetzer and middle-order batsman Richie Berrington. Munsey and Coetzer have enough experience of playing T20 cricket and the team would want them to provide a steady start to the side. Berrington who has scored runs for the team in this tournament will have to capitalise on the starts provided by the two openers. Apart from this, the bowlers too need to keep a check on opponents’ scoring-rate, a trick that they missed out in the last match. Perfect bid from Namibia on David Wiese Namibia have certainly made a fine bid after David Wiese joined the side and has provided the resistance and stability. Wiese has been instrumental in winning some important matches for Namibia especially the last two where he anchored the side to important wins. While he scored a brilliant half-century against Netherlands, the right-hander held the fort at the other end against Ireland as captain Erasmus did the hard task. The combination of Erasmus and Wiese can be a formidable one. Probable XI Scotland: George Munsey, Kyle Coetzer (c), Matthew Cross (wk), Richie Berrington, Calum MacLeod, Michael Leask, Chris Greaves, Mark Watt, Josh Davey, Safyaan Sharif, Bradley Wheal Namibia: Zane Green (wk), Craig Williams, Michael van Lingen, Gerhard Erasmus (c), David Wiese, JJ Smit, Jan Frylinck, Pikky Ya France, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Ruben Trumpelmann, Bernard Scholtz Fantasy XI Matthew Cross, Kyle Coetzer, George Munsey, Calum MacLeod, Gerhard Erasmus, David Wiese (C), Richie Berrington (VC), JJ Smit, Safyaan Sharif, Josh Davey, Bernard Scholtz
We have a great bunch of players & belief in the side: Kyle Coetzer
Scotland were thrashed by Afghanistan on Monday in Sharjah after they were bowled out for 60 runs in just over 10 overs while chasing 191. While the side suffered a thumping defeat, Scotland skipper Kyle Coetzer has backed the players and said that the side is a talented one and it was just a bad day at the office. “We have a great bunch of players and belief in the side. Belief among the players is key. It's not like we'll be locked up in separate rooms. We'll come together in the hotel. We have to keep moving forward,” Coetzer said post the game. “Clearly not one of our better days. We have been playing some good cricket to get here, but sometimes things don't go to plan,” he added. The Scotland bowlers thrashed around the park by the Afghan batting unit as they posted 190/4 in 20 overs riding on a fifty from Najibullah and some valuable contributions made by Zazai, Gurbaz and captain Mohammad Nabi. Later, the spin duo of Mujeeb u Rahman and Rashid Khan ripped apart the Scotland batting order as the two shared a total of nine wickets between them. While Mujeeb scalped a fifer, Rashid returned with a four-wicket haul. Scotland will now take on Namibia on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi.
World T20 2021 | Scotland thrash Oman, remain unbeaten to qualify for Super 12 as group topper
Scottish skipper Kyle Coetzer found form as his team thrashed home team Oman by eight wickets to remain unbeaten throughout Round 1 and qualify for Super 12 as group toppers. This is also the first time ever that a Scottish team has moved further than Round 1 in a World Cup. Courtesy of this win, Scotland moved to Group 2 of the Super 12 and will be placed alongside India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Afghanistan and a team that would qualify from Group A of Round 1, which would be decided on Friday. Chasing a modest total of 123, Coetzer, who had been searching form for the last two games finally found it and hit a 28 ball 41. His opening partnership of 33 with George Munsey was a relatively better start for the men in purple. Matthew Cross, who came after the fall of the first wicket, remained at the crease till the very end and built a partnership of unbeaten 48 with Richie Berrington who scored a quickfire 31 off 21 balls to get the chase done with as soon as possible. For Oman, Khawar Ali and Fayyaz Butt picked one wicket each. Earlier in the evening, after winning the toss Oman skipper Zeeshan Maqsood decided to bat first. However, the team had a horrendous start and courtesy of a mixup between the two openers Jatinder Singh, the most dynamic Omani batter got run out for nought. The men in red couldn’t really recover from that and even after Aqib Ilyas’ 37 and Maqsood’ 34, could only manage to get to 122 losing all 10 wickets on the way. In fact, only three Omani players were able to cross the single digit. For Scots, Josh Davey was once again the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3-25 from four overs.
Chris Greaves, the Amazon delivery guy who drove Scotland to a famous win over Bangladesh
Chris Greaves was the hero of the night for Scotland who defeated Bangladesh in a shocking manner in their first T20 World Cup 2021 match. He not only made a brilliant 45 off just 28 balls to guide Scotland from 53-6 to 140, and then took two precious wickets of Bangladesh greats Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan with the ball to make sure that the Tigers remained six runs behind the Scottish total and Scotland notch up a famous win. But Greaves, who did all the heroics and won the Player of the Match award was not even in Scotland’s Scheme of things a few months ago and was working as a delivery driver for Amazon to make his ends meet. Scotland skipper Kyle Coetzer revealed this in the post-match press conference to showcase how much struggle do Associate players with no fixed contracts go through. "I am really proud of Greaves. He really sacrificed a lot. He was delivering parcels for Amazon not too long ago, and now is getting Player of the Match against Bangladesh. I am not sure if he will appreciate me saying this. Seeing the performance from Mark Watt and Chris Greaves with the bat today, they are lesser-known people who had to make many sacrifices to get to where they are today,” said Coetzer. The skipper further went on to put in perspective how hard has the Highlanders player, who also applied his trade for Gloucestershire second XI in the English domestic set-up, worked to get to where he is now. "Greaves isn't a contracted player in Scotland. He was on the fringes. He put his hand up, worked extremely hard and put himself in the picture. Going back a month, he wouldn't even start in one of these games. Look at what he has done. It is just proof in the pudding that there are some quality players around Associate cricket. They just need the platform to show it,” said Coetzer. Greaves, who made his international debut just a few days ago against Papua New Guinea in lead up to the World Cup, was picked in the XI after he picked four wickets against the Netherlands in a Warm-up game.
Disciplined Scotland stage first of many upsets in ICC T20 World Cup
Scotland pulled off the first upset of the ICC T20 World cup on the inaugural day of the tournament after clinically defeating Bangladesh by six runs on Sunday, 17 October. Chasing an under-par total of 140 runs in the Al Amerat, Bangladesh faltered under a disciplined performance of Scotland, ably marshalled by Kyle Coetzer. The captain first unleashed his fast bowlers and extracted all the movement he could in the initial overs. It meant that Josh Davey and Bradley Wheal bowled to Bangladeshi batsmen at an attacking length, picking up two wickets within the four overs of the second innings. Things went from bad to worse for the Asian team who were coming on the back off series wins against Australia and Bangladesh after they were choked out by the spin attack halfway through the chase, reeling at 59/2 after 10 overs. With the required run-rate climbing above 8.2, Bangladesh looked to attack the inexperienced Chris Greaves but ended up giving him two wickets in the first ball off his first two overs. With the Tigers down to 80/4 in 14 overs, it was only a matter of time till Scotland sealed the deal. The win was delayed by a little while with Afif Hossain being able to find his range, but before it became a late resurgence, spinner Mark Watt was able to put a lid on it, dismissing Afif when he was at 18 off 11 balls. With the victory more than assured from there on, Scotland picked two more wickets in the penultimate over before eventually choking out Bangladesh for 134 runs for the loss of 7 wickets. One of the big issues for Bangladesh turned out to be the lack of power hitting game, with six players getting out while trying to play attacking shots. This puts a lot of questions on the unit given Bangladesh were the favourites to get into the Super 12 stage among all the eight teams playing the first round. They might still go through, but that does not mean that they will be able to match the likes of India, England and West Indies, despite being full-time members of the ICC. Earlier in the day, Scotland dragged themselves out of trouble after losing their famed top order early in the innings. After losing their first six wickets for just 53 runs inside 12 overs, an incredible rescue work from spin duo Chris Greaves (45 off 28) and Mark Watt (22 off 17) ensured that Scotland had something to defend. Speaking after the game, captain Coetzer took notice of the same and reiterated his belief in the squad that they have come with. The defeat means that Bangladesh will have to win their two remaining games. One of them would be against an impressive Oman, who defeated Papua New Guinea by 10 wickets today. The Bangladesh batting will have to get things in order before the more serious competition comes into play in the Super 12s.
World T20 2021 | Inspired by heartbreaks, Scotland have 'belief' to correct grim world cup history
When Scotland debut at the world stage in the world cup, some of the great captains of the modern era such as Sourav Ganguly, Ricky Ponting and MS Dhoni had not even started. The year was 1999 and the Scotts were making their world cup debut in England. Fast forward to 2021, they have just one win in the world cup to show against their long history and rather have had an uninspiring history to be boastful about. The solitary win came over Hong Kong, the side that came onto the world stage far later after them in the 2016 edition of the ICC World T20. However, instead of starting off their journey on a fresh note after that win, their journey went into a tailspin and they suffered massive heartbreak in the form of knocking out of the contention for the next ODI World Cup in England. Scotland’s road to world cup There was no end to their misery and they were on the brink of another missed opportunity for the world cup in the ICC World Cup Qualifying event in 2019. They suffered a stunning defeat at the hands of Singapore, a newbie compared to their age in international cricket and two losses against the Netherlands, Namibia had put a big question mark over their belonging to the top level. From being a firm favourite to qualify from their group—Group A, they slipped to fourth on the points table and had to take a far more competitive route to ensure they did not miss the other bus to a world cup event. Now, having a long history but not without significant achievement they would be proud of, Scotland are banking on something else— “belief”, to come with stronger force in the T20 World Cup starting Monday, October 18. “We have skills throughout with bat, ball and in the field but I think our biggest strength is our belief,” their most prominent star and captain Kyle Coetzer said. “As a team, as a country, we really believe now that we are capable of playing on the world stage and in World Cups, so our main strength as team is belief.” Scotland’s big players Kyle Coetzer Scotland’s skipper Coetjer made his world cup debut in the 2009 edition of the ICC World T20 and did not appear too fussed about the enormity of the occasion and the event. He announced his arrival with a solid 32-ball 42 against a very strong South Africa and followed it up with a swashbuckling 15-ball 33 against the hosts England. It was Coetjer only who kept the “belief” alive in the Scottish side as they ran closer to defeating the eventual runners up New Zealand and Afghanistan in the 2015 ICC ODI World Cup. He smashed a magnificent 134-ball 156 against a Bangladesh side who were strong enough to knock Eoin Morgan’s England out of the tournament. Scotland are starting their World T20 2021 campaign against Bangladesh and there is no doubt about who will be the biggest player to watch out for in the contest against the Bangla Tigers. Calum MacLeod A sublime innings of 157 runs against an Afghanistan bowling attack comprising of Rashid Khan and other impressive Afghan pacers in the world cup qualifier tournament in 2018 and a 94-ball 140 against an England bowling attack comprising of Mark Wood, Liam Plunkett, David Willey and Adil Rashid establish the batting credentials of Calum MacLeod. Both Rashids (Adil and Khan) are known champion leg spinners on the world stage and his side will have high hopes of him in the upcoming tournament conspiring a lot of their matches will be played on pitches conducive to spin bowling. MacLeod is a fluent stroke maker and would love the pace and bounce on the pitches in Dubai and Scotland’s batting performances hinge heavily on the shoulders of MacLeod and Coetjer. How far can they go? Scotland have their tasks cut out in order to qualify to the super 12 of the tournament. Bangladesh are the firm favourites to be the first team to qualify and that leaves Scotland to face must-win games against Papua New Guinea, who too are not short of “belief”, and Oman. Scotland had defected both these sides in a bid to qualify for the event, but not before the matches went down the wire and the Scottish skipper will have to urger his troops to be on their toes from the first game against Bangladesh itself. Anything can happen in the game of cricket, especially in this format, but Scotland are the second most likely side to get over the line and into the main draw of the tournament. Scotland squad Kyle Coetzer (captain), Richard Berrington, Dylan Budge, Matthew Cross (wk), Josh Davey, Ally Evans, Chris Greaves, Michael Leask, Calum Macleod, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Hamza Tahir, Craig Wallace, Mark Watt, Brad Wheal. Reserves: Michael Jones, Chris Sole. Scotland fixtures 17 Oct - against Bangladesh 19 Oct - against Papua New Guinea 21 Oct - against Oman