It’s 15 years ago this week since Scotland’s cricketers triumphed in the ICC Trophy on a sun-drenched day in Dublin.
Aberdeenshire stalwart, Colin Smith, was among the players who embarked on an unbeaten run in the tournament and polished off Ireland – who included future England Test stars, Eoin Morgan and Ed Joyce – with a clinical display in the final.
Yet Smith, who won 182 caps, shone with the Saltires and participated at the 2007 World Cup, has been dismayed by the lack of opportunities which the sport’s governors have given developing nations such as the Scots and the Irish in recent years.
And he has spelled out his frustration at the way Kyle Coetzer’s squad is currently being denied the chance to build on the momentum they created in 2018 and 2019.
The big wicket keeper-batsman told the Press & Journal: “As sportspeople, all you want is an even playing field and a path way to the top based on merit and performance.
“Back in 2005, there was none of that. Associate cricket was completely separate from the top tier and still is, but to a lesser extent.
“No matter how many games you won, there was a firm ceiling which could not be breached. The only opportunity we had to prove ourselves was during a World Cup.
“We would get one or two games a year against touring International teams but these were not official ODIs and we rarely had access to our full team with players unavailable due to County commitments.
“So, once every four years, Associates had an opportunity to go against the big boys toe to toe. That is incredibly difficult to do but not impossible as has been proved by Bangladesh in 1999 and Ireland in 2007 and 2011.
“They took their opportunities and have battled very hard to get test status and richly deserve it. However even having done that the playing field is still not even.
“Zimbabwe, rocked by corruption and underwhelming performance for over a decade still receive approximately 10 times as much money from the ICC as Ireland.
“When Ireland received their test status, funding to them was increased, but this did not come from money ring fenced for Test nations.
”It came from the Associate budget, making the rest of us more disadvantaged.
“Then, the ICC do not particularly like the set order of things being disrupted, so they cut the World Cup down to 10 teams, effectively removing the jeopardy of a minnow having any influence on the tournament.
”The format is steeped in monetary considerations. After the 2007 World Cup when both India and Pakistan were knocked out at the group stage, the revenue dropped considerably and this could not be allowed to happen again.
“So the format was changed. Can you imagine if that happened in football? It’s unthinkable, but it happens in cricket.“
Smith was impressed by his compatriots’ triumph over England two years ago. But he believes the dice are stacked against Scotland advancing to ICC Full Members.
He said: “The Scotland side in 2005 was at its peak and ageing and we were not ready as a country to keep banging on that door.
“We did get more fixtures in the 18 months leading up to the 2007 World Cup, but the majority of the team had full-time jobs and I for one was also juggling a family, so it was nigh impossible to grasp everything with both hands.
“It is not a regret but just a reality of the time in which we were living.
“Scotland, at the moment, have a talented group of professional players and they are also putting a lot of work and resources into the next generations and it is heartening to see the age groups doing well in world terms.
“But the only way forward for Scotland is to keep winning. Despite their notable successes against Test nations lately, they have been inconsistent against their Associate peers which has cost them dear.
”So, first and foremost, they must be ruthless against other Associates and grab every opportunity to upset a Test nation when these come along and hopefully things will work out. However, that might still not be enough.
“Ireland took 12 years of consistent performance. If the USA had done exactly the same, would they have taken 12 years to get Test Status?
“Did Bangladesh require that length of time? But these countries have massive populations and they offer the ICC potential revenues which we cannot match as a relatively small nation.“
Sadly, that is the reality as Scotland’s finest gaze at the elite from the outside.
